What the teams said – Friday in Mexico City

Ferrari

Ferrari were the only team to run both full time drivers in FP1, and both had a decent session, looking quick on the hard and soft tyres. Charles Leclerc topped FP1 by a reasonable margin, with Lewis Hamilton a few places back after running a touch wide on his flying lap. Leclerc picked up where he left off in FP2, again going quickest despite locking up on his soft tyres and running wide at Turn 1 on his first attempt at a flying lap.

But Hamilton’s second session was not so smooth, as he was forced to park up trackside with a PU issue.

Charles Leclerc - FP1: 1:18.128, P1; FP2: 1:17.827, P1

"Overall, our performance looks quite alright but we still need to work on some of our limiting factors. It was quite tricky on track today, as the surface was slippery, so we will work on that to find some improvements for tomorrow."

Lewis Hamilton - FP1: 1:18.866, P4; FP2: 1:18.512, P11

"It wasn’t the most straightforward day for me, as I missed some running in FP1 and then had to stop early in FP2. Despite that, the car felt quick, so it was unfortunate that we had to stop before completing the long run. From a setup point of view, I don’t think we need to make too many changes, as the car is working well. We’ll investigate the issue tonight and do our best to be ready for tomorrow. I’m ready to make the most of what we have."

McLaren

Leonardo Fornaroli had an eventful session for McLaren when he took over Norris’ cockpit. He locked up more than once, went for a spot of lawn mowing and sounded a little confused on the radio, but by and large he kept the car in one piece. As for Oscar Piastri, he had a quiet opener and finished inside the top 10. Roll on FP2, and Lando Norris looked strong, pushing Leclerc and winding up just a tenth off the Ferrari man. That was despite a big lock-up on the mediums for the World Champion, rendering that compound useless for the long runs. Piastri struggled by comparison, but he did catch one big slide that had the crowd on the edge of their seats.

Lando Norris - FP2: 1:17930, P2

"Not a bad day on the timesheets at the end of Free Practice 2, but the car is still proving a challenge to drive. The pace is definitely there but the field is incredibly tight at the minute, so it will come down to execution in tomorrow’s Qualifying. Thank you to Leo for his support Free Practice 1, we’ve still got plenty to work on overnight as a team, but the foundations are definitely there for us to build on."

Oscar Piastri - FP1: 1:19.376, P8; FP2: 1:18.469, P10

"Mexico is always a challenge with the altitude, low downforce and very little grip, but today felt slightly better than I expected. Even with a scruffy lap on the Softs in Free Practice 2, the underlying pace looks competitive, and the track was improving quickly as we went. We learned a lot across the sessions and if I tidy up the areas on my lap I need to, I’m confident we can be further up the order tomorrow."

Leonardo Fornaroli - FP1: 1:20.235, P17

"It was really exciting to be back on track in FP1 with McLaren Mastercard, and I’m grateful to the team and to Lando for giving me the chance to drive the MCL40. It was my first time on this circuit, and it wasn’t easy to find the confidence straight away to get the front tyres up to the right temperature on a track surface that, especially at the start, offered very little grip. In fact, a lock-up at Turn 1 ruined my first lap on the Softs.

"I’m really happy to be part of this team and to be working closely with the engineers, always trying to provide clear feedback to help develop the car to its full potential. It’s very important for me to keep gaining experience in Formula 1 as I develop as a driver: I’m already looking forward to getting back on track next Friday at Interlagos!"

Randy Singh, Senior Director, Racing

"All in all, it was a very productive Friday. We devoted a significant portion of our early practice sessions to set-up experiments and evaluations, particularly to adapt the car to the specific challenges of high altitude. Leo did a fantastic job of supporting our test programme in the opening session, providing us with a solid foundation on which to fine-tune performance in the afternoon. Both Lando and Oscar completed their planned programmes, using all three tyre compounds and running with different fuel loads on a track which, as is traditional here, offers little grip on the first day.

"Based on what we’ve seen today, the level of competitiveness is exceptionally close, with the top four teams separated by very small gaps and the rest of the field closer together than usual. Managing power unit and brake temperatures will be crucial for the rest of the weekend, especially in race conditions when running in traffic. We’ve seen numerous front-wheel lockups across the field, but we know where we can gain further lap times and feel well prepared to tackle qualifying and Sunday’s race."

Mercedes

Kimi Antonelli ran wide on one of his first laps out on track, but after that settled in and looked relatively quick in the opening session, as Fred Vesti kept him company in the top three in an accomplished showing. George Russell joined the fray in FP2, and went third fastest on his second push lap on the softs, showing he seems up for the fight here. That was a tenth faster than his team mate, with Mercedes having a very solid opening day in Mexico City.

Kimi Antonelli - FP1: 1:18.787, P2; FP2: 1:18.044, P4

"First of all, it was good to be back in the car and feeling healthy today. It was an interesting Friday here in Mexico; it's never easy to get a read on the car, particularly in FP1 when the track needs a lot of cleaning. We tried a few different things between the sessions to get the car balance in a better window, and it seems that we improved things for FP2.

"There are definitely more things we can improve going into tomorrow and we have some work to do overnight. Ferrari looked very quick, but we will focus on ourselves, see where we can find more performance and hopefully put ourselves in a good position for tomorrow."

George Russell - FP2: 1:17.933, P3

"Fred did a really good job in the car and set us up well for my hour of practice; it was good to get into a rhythm so quickly after sitting out FP1. Mexico is always a unique challenge because of the altitude and the low grip, and that feels even more pronounced this year. We've been running high levels of downforce at most circuits because of the way the cars operate on the straights, so coming here we don't have the same step up in downforce that we would normally have at this circuit. That makes the car particularly tricky to drive, and you also have the challenge of turbo lag at this altitude.

"It's incredibly tight out there and every bit of lap time is going to matter. Ferrari look the strongest at the moment, which is perhaps not a surprise given the characteristics of this circuit, but I think it could go any way by Q3 tomorrow. We need to maximise everything because the margins are going to be very small."

Fred Vesti - FP1: 1:18.861, P3

"My FP1 session today was really satisfying. We worked through our full programme, gained lots of valuable data both for this weekend and the longer term, and helped set up the rest of our day. Personally, I was also very happy with how I performed across the hour. I knew my soft tyre lap was a good one, but seeing P3 on the timing screens made me extremely happy. I've put a huge amount of work into this car with the team, going back to the start of its development two years ago, so to have the opportunity to drive it here in Mexico and put together a strong lap was very special.

"I'm very grateful for the trust the team has in me and for the opportunity to show what I can do. These sessions are important for all us rookies, so I am pleased to make the most of it today. I felt comfortable in the car, put together a good lap and was really pleased to finish P3. It was a great experience and one I really enjoyed."

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

"It's been a solid first day in Mexico. Kimi and Fred both did a good job in FP1, particularly given how difficult the conditions can be here with the altitude and low grip. Fred completed the programme we had planned for him and did an excellent job to finish P3. That gave us useful information to carry into FP2 when George returned to the car.

"Mexico is the hardest track to prepare for as it's impossible to simulate all the effects of altitude. We use Friday to understand the various issues that we are facing and come up with an approach to managing those through qualifying and the race.

"From the power unit side, we seem to be in reasonable shape with good delivery of power out of the corners. The cooling for both brakes and power unit is always an issue here but we were able to do decent long runs on both cars and whilst we'd like a bit more margin, it seems like all teams are having to do some management.

"The field is tight and we wouldn't put ourselves at the front of the bunch from today's running. We're struggling with a lack of stability on entry that moves to apex understeer. The single lap issues are actually quite similar to the long run, which should make it a bit easier to progress, but it's clear we need to find a step if we want to be challenging for the front row."

Red Bull

Max Verstappen sat out the first session for Iwasa, who had a good hour for Red Bull. Isack Hadjar had a more difficult time of it, complaining about his steering wheel not being on straight, and also issues with the brakes. In the second session, Hadjar made his way up through the field with less to complain about. But his team mate did not have a smooth time of it, instead making contact with Lawson as the two jostled for position. That left the Dutchman with a heavily damaged floor, meaning he set his fastest lap time in a car that was definitely lacking in some downforce. He was later handed a one-place grid penalty for the incident.

Max Verstappen - FP2: 1:18.138, P5

“Today was a tough session and we probably could have done a little bit better, but we weren’t too far off. It is a different kind of challenge here as the high altitude is always quite extreme. It is tricky with the grip and the sliding, but I think everyone else will be saying the same thing as it never feels great at this circuit. There is some fine tuning to do and we just need to find more pace in the car to make a real jump. We got a little bit of damage from the incident with Liam too. The Ferraris are looking quick in this session; this is a track where you need to have more low-speed performance so it should play into their strengths.”

Isack Hadjar - FP1: 1:19.545, P11; FP2: 1:18.237, P6

“FP1 was a tricky session for us with only a few push laps on the board, but we managed to sort the issue out quickly and get some long running at the end. We made some good set-up changes for FP2, which showed. I felt a lot more comfortable in the car and we were more competitive. There are a few things we need to tidy up, but the long run has seemed good so far. The day started a little rough for us but ended with some positives. I think we can be in the fight.”

Ayumu Iwasa - FP1: 1:19.113, P5

“It was great to be back out there. Going into an FP1 session, you don’t really care about the ranking or the lap time; you just need to focus on doing the job. It’s been a little while since I last drove the car at Monza, but I could really feel the differences since then. The car performed well in both low-speed and high-speed corners, which gave me the confidence to push to the limit. It also felt quick, which always makes it more fun to drive. We managed to get some clear feedback that we’ll take into the rest of the weekend, so it was a solid session for me.”

Pierre Wache, Technical Director

“Ayumu did a very good job in FP1, where we got plenty of testing done. On top of that, he showed impressive pace for a young driver. In FP2, the performance of Max’s car was clearly affected by some damage, which we will be able to fix for FP3, whereas Isack’s session was solid overall. Still, we have a lot of work to do. The long run was more or less there, but we have performance to find, as the drivers are not yet happy with the balance. We are confident we can improve that with the set-up for tomorrow."

Racing Bulls

Nikola Tsolov was making his FP1 debut for Racing Bulls, and as a result his times were some of the most eye-catching. He wound up just two places and one tenth behind his team mate, Lindblad just scraping into the top 10 ahead of him. Arvid Lindblad had another good session in the afternoon, again finishing in the top 10. Liam Lawson’s FP2 will be remembered for some wheel-to-wheel action with Verstappen though, the two former team mates both winding up with car damage after fighting over the same piece of tarmac. Both were handed a penalty by the stewards for the moment.

Arvid Lindblad - FP1: 1:19.478, P10; FP2: 1:18.389, P7 Liam Lawson - FP2: 1:18.455, P9 Nikola Tsolov – FP1: 1:19.604, P12

Lindblad said

“Today was pretty decent overall. The altitude makes this circuit quite unique so FP1 was a little challenging, particularly as these are new conditions for the PU. The team made some good changes heading into FP2, and the car felt more alive. There are still a few things to work on ahead of tomorrow, but I think we’re in a good place. I really enjoy driving this track and I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend. We’ll see what we can achieve in Qualifying tomorrow, but the target is definitely Q3.”

Tsolov said

“It was a super special day today and something I’ve dreamt of since I started racing. The atmosphere in F1 is very different, it’s crazy. I came into the session without putting too much pressure on myself and the team really helped me with that in making sure I felt the best I could, so I’m really grateful for that. The car is certainly different to what I’ve ever driven, it was tough to get used to but I got up to pace pretty quickly. I ticked all the boxes for what we needed to get out of the session and I’m looking forward to improving at every chance I get. I really enjoyed myself and I’m looking forward to spending the rest of the weekend with the team and learning as much as I can.”

Alan Permane, Team Principal said

“A strong day for us. The car has worked well across both sessions. Nikola did a great job for his first time in this car and at this track; the pace was there and he did everything we asked of him. We did a bit of aero testing with him and one of his objectives was to help with feedback and pick up differences in a couple of the specifications we ran, and he did that very well.

The car was in a decent window in FP2, the pace looks good on both long and short runs. Liam had an unfortunate and unnecessary incident with Max , which I think they both could have handled better. When you’re going for an out lap, it’s really important you do the last sector fast, which they were both going for.”

Alpine

Pierre Gasly had a good opening session with a top six finish for Alpine, albeit with plenty of big name drivers sitting out. He was joined by Gabriele Mini, who was another making his FP1 debut. The Italian did well, although he did run over the grass at one point. In the second session, Gasly showed his FP1 result was no fluke with another strong lap to land solidly in the top 10. Franco Colapinto struggled to get up to speed after missing that first session, so he will be playing catch up tomorrow.

Pierre Gasly - FP1: 1:19.210, P6; FP2: 1:18.407, P8

“It has been a positively surprising Friday for us where we have had one of our better Practice days of the season so far. We arrived here expecting some challenges given the conditions and some uncertainties as to how the car would behave at this circuit. We have had two good sessions today where I have felt good right from the first laps of the day. The altitude here always makes the car feel strange but, compared to recent years at this track, I am feeling much more at ease. We have a good baseline to work from going into the rest of the weekend where we have a few areas to fine tune. It's not massive things which we need to improve, a bit on braking as well as getting the car more comfortable with some bumps in the high-speed, but it's quite small details. The gaps are also small, only a few hundredths between a few cars, and it will be about putting it all together when it counts.”

Franco Colapinto - FP2: 1:19.132, P16

“Even though it might not look that way from the lap times, the overall feeling after today was positive. We were catching up a little after missing Free Practice 1, but we are not as far off as maybe the timings show. I made a small error in the final sector and did not get the most out of my Soft tyre run. I know exactly where I need to improve for tomorrow and will also work with the team overnight to put ourselves in a stronger position. The long run pace was also positive, so if we can qualify well, we should hopefully be in contention for some points this weekend.”

Gabriele Mini - FP1: 1:19.946, P14

“That was an amazing experience for me to drive for the first time in an official Formula One session. Firstly, a big thank you to Flavio, Steve and the team for the opportunity, it was a truly memorable moment for me. As I left the garage, I was waiting in the pit lane with Lewis [Hamilton] in front of me, which was very cool. There were some legends of the sport out on track, people I have looked up to since I was a kid, so to be there with them was incredibly special. I would say the session itself was positive on our side. The team had a clear plan for me which meant some aero testing and data collection which will hopefully benefit the team in the future. I tried to stay consistent and build up the pace lap after lap. I did some good laps but if I am being critical of myself, I did not click everything together so that is something for me to look at and learn from. It's a very unique circuit with the conditions; tough on aero, tough on the power unit and there is a lot to understand and manage. That is all part of the learning process, though, and it was great to experience it all for the first time.”

Steve Nielsen, Managing Director

“Taking the day as a whole, I think we can be largely positive and confident heading into the rest of the weekend. We won't rest on our laurels though and we know we still have work to do and it's incredibly tight, particularly on one lap pace. Pierre really got into a good groove today and spoke very highly of his feeling inside the car, which is something we want to carry over into Qualifying tomorrow. Franco also fed back that he has a good feeling and knows where he can improve. The high fuel running in particular looked strong, but we know the field is more closely matched in Qualifying, so we need to look at extracting everything over a single lap. Also, it was a great job by Gabriele today, which was his first time in this car, and he did exactly what we expected of him.”

Haas

Ollie Bearman had an eventful end to his first session, pulling into the pits with a smoking car that initially looked to be caused by a brake fire. He was swift to jump out, but it turned out to be a PU issue and Haas needed to change that unit between sessions. Esteban Ocon had sat out the opening session, but he returned in FP2 and immediately complained about the power steering. He was not happy later on either, when he was told to switch to the mediums for his long run, not the softs. As for Bearman, his second session was also disrupted, as he briefly parked in a run-off area before getting going again. He wound up needing a software change to his car.

Esteban Ocon – FP2: 1:18.774, P13

“It’s always challenging when you miss out on a session, but Ryō did a good job and collected some valuable data. In FP2, we had a small issue at the start of the session, which we quickly fixed, and then it was about getting up to speed as quickly as we could. I still don’t feel super comfortable in the car, so there will be some adjustments to make and some work to be done overnight ahead of FP3 and Quali tomorrow.”

Oliver Bearman - FP1: 1:19.412, P9; FP2: 1:18.849, P14

“Overall, it’s been a positive day on track. We encountered a lot of issues in FP1, as we lost our latest spec engine, so we’re having to revert to the previous one which is a shame, as obviously there’s some performance involved in there. The car was a bit more tricky in FP2, so we need to understand why, but in general I’ve been happy with the day. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, I think things will be feeling better and I’m excited to see how it goes.”

Ryo Hirakawa - FP1: 1:19.982, P15

“First of all, a big thanks to the team. I’m really happy to feel the step in terms of performance since I drove in Budapest, so hats off to the team. We completed the run program, had no issues on the car, and we’ve made a step forward for FP2 with Esteban being back in the car. I’m really happy I had a good session, so hopefully we can score good points on Sunday.”

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal

“We made a very good start. The car was competitive straight away, and both Ollie and Ryō looked very comfortable. It was good to hear from Ryō, as the last time he gave feedback was before our update, so he confirmed what our drivers have been saying about consistency, predictability, and stability of the package. Ollie was very happy, in low-speed he was mega, even in high-speed – which is one of our weaknesses – he was doing a very good job. Unfortunately, we had a PU issue, so Ollie’s FP1 was cut short at the end. The team did an unbelievable job between sessions to replace the engine and other damaged parts to send the car out on time. In FP2, Ollie was less happy with the car, operationally it was okay, but less of a clean session, if you like. Fundamentally, the car is still performing reasonably competitively, so we just need to clean up some areas overnight and prepare for FP3.”

Aston Martin

Jak Crawford did not have the best FP1, after he was told to park up trackside with an issue. That ended his running, Aston Martin later saying a suspected ERS problem had curtailed his session. Fernando Alonso though had a strong opener, finishing solidly in the top 10. The Spaniard impressed again in FP2, winding up 12th and showing the car does have some potential around this track.

Fernando Alonso - FP1: 1:19.357, P7; FP2: 1:18.596, P12
Lance Stroll - FP2: 1:19.631, P20
Jak Crawford - FP1: 1:20.803, P19

Alonso said:

"It has been a solid Friday in terms of performance here in Mexico, and we feel a little closer today than we have at previous events.

"It is always a challenging circuit, so it is encouraging to start the weekend on a positive note.

"The altitude brings its own difficulties, but we will keep working overnight and aim to get the most out of the car tomorrow and on Sunday."

Crawford said:

"It was a decent day for me despite an early end to the session. We had to stop the car on track due to a battery issue, but still managed to get some good running in today.

"Everything was going to plan up until that point so still useful mileage in a Formula One car for me and I enjoyed it.

"It was my first time in the car with the new engine so lots of things to learn compared to my last practice sessions and also to take away for my work in the sim.

"It felt quite low grip out there today and obviously we’re also trying to adapt to the conditions as much as possible to get the car in a good window."

Pedro de la Rosa, Team Ambassador said:

"Fernando looked quite competitive in both the sessions today. The car was working well in the low-speed corners, which maybe made us look a bit more competitive than usual.

"It was good to give Jak another opportunity in the car in FP1, but the battery issue cut short his session slightly. We need to investigate the issues with Lance's car because it was very difficult to drive.

"We will try and find solutions for tomorrow. As we see every year, cooling is a big challenge for all teams, and we need to keep an eye on temperatures across the weekend."

Audi

Nico Hulkenberg was one of the first to lock-up in FP1, locking both front tyres for good measure in what were tricky track conditions. But while that was less than ideal, what was even worse was the Audi team leaving a cooling fan on Freddie Slater’s car, and letting him complete a lap with it in situ. That led to a lengthy stay for the youngster in the pits as the team assessed the damage, and cost him some track time.

Gabriel Bortoleto regained his cockpit for FP2, but the team had found an issue with his car and he missed three quarters of the session as a result, only coming out very late on and thus goes into Saturday very much on the back foot.

Nico Hulkenberg - FP1: 1:19.608, P13; FP2: 1:19.023, P15

"It wasn't the most straightforward Friday for us. A few things didn't quite work as expected, and there are still some open questions we need to get to the bottom of. We've got a bit of homework to do overnight, but hopefully we can find some answers and be in better shape tomorrow."

Gabriel Bortoleto - FP2: 1:20.174, P22

“Not the easiest day for us. I sat FP1 out, as Freddie was in the car, but then we had a few issues before FP2 which meant I could not get much running in, completing only two laps right at the end of the session. Still, a big thank you to my mechanics for all the work they put in to get me back out on track for those final laps. It is a shame not to have had more time in the car today, but we will do our best to make up for it tomorrow in the last final practice session before Qualifying.”

Freddie Slater- FP1: 1:20.945, P21

“It was such a special day for me to finally get my first taste of the R26, and I am very grateful to the team for giving me this opportunity. It is something I have been dreaming about since I was four or five years old; overall, it was an incredible experience and one I will take a lot from.

“We stuck to our plan and ticked the boxes we needed to, which is part of the job when stepping in for FP1. Even though our running was slightly limited, I also took some good learnings from the session and got my first feel of the 2026 cars, which was pretty amazing. I cannot wait for Brazil now.”

Williams

Luke Browning and Carlos Sainz kept their sessions clean in FP1, although the latter was frustrated by traffic at one point. It was much of the same in FP2, with the Spaniard and Alex Albon managing plenty of laps but not troubling the midfield runners ahead. Work to do for Williams overnight, analysing that data if they want to make it out of Q1 tomorrow.

Alex Albon - FP2: 1:19.578, P19

"It was a better afternoon out there for me in FP2, with the car feeling more predictable during the session. We made some setup changes between FP1 and FP2, using today’s sessions to experiment and try different setups early in the week. We’ll take what we learned today and apply it overnight, hopefully taking a step in the right direction."

Carlos Sainz - FP1: 1:20.006, P16; FP2: 1:19.248, P17

"Overall it’s been a decent Friday. We changed some items between FP1 and FP2 which I could feel clearly in the car and they were a step in the right direction. We’re using these sessions as an opportunity to try some more experimental setups. Tonight we’ll evaluate what we can do with the car for the rest of the weekend and hope we can make some more steps forward for tomorrow."

Luke Browning - FP1: 1:20.869, P20

"It was great fun out there today - we did some good data gathering to bring back to Grove. It was a difficult session, as the resurfaced track was super dusty, but there were no major mistakes from my side. I’m just happy to have ticked off all my test items, including some good aero work giving the team more data to build on. It’s a great privilege to be trusted with all four of the team’s FP1 rookie sessions and to continue to be supported by Williams' Driver Academy. I’m looking forward to my next FP1 outing in Brazil next week, where I’ll continue to learn, develop and help push the team forward."

Cadillac

Sergio Perez exited the pits to huge applause in FP1 and had a clean session in front of his home fans alongside Colton Herta, who was driving in place of Valtteri Bottas. The Finn is being hit with grid penalties here after taking on a raft of new PU components to his Cadillac. In the second session, Bottas took his time getting up to speed and wound up just off his team mate’s pace.

Valtteri Bottas - FP1: FP2: 1:20.165, P21

“It was a tricky session, particularly coming into FP2 after missing FP1. The track is one I know pretty well, which helped me get back up to speed, but we’re still working to find the right setup and extract more performance from the car. We also need to keep an eye on reliability, particularly with the brakes and engine, so there’s still plenty of work to do ahead of tomorrow.”

Sergio Perez - FP1: 1:20.395, P18; FP2: 1:19.406, P18

“It’s a very special moment for me to be back on track at home in Mexico, in front of my fans and my people. It’s been a challenging day as I haven’t been feeling well, health-wise. Hopefully, I’ll be back to 100% tomorrow. I’ll focus on getting some rest tonight. It looks like we’re closer than we expected, which is positive. Hopefully, we can have a strong day tomorrow in qualifying and maximise our potential.”

Colton Herta – FP1: 1:21.365, P22

“Today was very enjoyable. I always have a grin whenever I drive this car. There’s always lots to learn driving a new track and with the challenges of the elevation which makes it tricky. But I had a lot of joy trying to figure that out and it’s great to have back-to-back weekends in the car. Every session you’re able to learn a little bit more about the car, about yourself and what you can do better for the next one.”

Marcin Budkowski, Team Principal

“Firstly, I am sorry for the fans who turned out to see Checo at the Fan Forum earlier today. Unfortunately, he was unwell overnight and we wanted to ensure he was fit enough to drive both sessions today in front of his home crowd.

"With a number of back-to-back races across continents, it has been a relentless schedule for the drivers and the team. We were pleased to see Valtteri back in the car this afternoon after another successful session for Colton as he built up more running in the car.

"On track, it has been a useful day gaining lots of data and learnings. This is a difficult circuit for cooling and the brakes, but the team have produced a good baseline on which to improve overnight. Our focus now is for both drivers to get a good sleep and come back ready for qualifying tomorrow.”

Pirelli

Simone Berra, Pirelli Chief Engineer

“Track conditions proved better than expected. Although grip levels were fairly low during the opening stages of FP1, the circuit evolved significantly from the outset, helped by the running of the support categories. As a result, the track offered better conditions than last year, as reflected by the particularly competitive lap times. In addition, the effects of aerodynamic load loss caused by the altitude appear to be less pronounced with the current generation of cars, which may help explain why lap times are so close to last season’s reference.

"During the first hour of running, most teams immediately chose the hardest compound both to familiarise themselves with the circuit and to help clean the track. Given that two sets of C3s could be considered surplus to requirements for the remainder of the weekend, this was also the natural choice for the cars entrusted to the young drivers. Both the Medium and Soft compounds performed very well, with a performance gap of around eight tenths of a second. On a circuit that naturally offers limited grip, the C5 was particularly effective in extracting its full potential.

"Data gathered from the long runs indicate a significant level of degradation for both of the softer compounds. This opens up several possible strategic scenarios for the race, ranging from a one-stop strategy, with more careful tyre management, to a two-stop approach. On the front-left tyre, we observed localised graining, which already showed signs of improvement between the two sessions. If track evolution continues at the same rate seen today, we expect this phenomenon to reduce further over the course of the weekend.”