Ferrari drivers satisfied with Hungarian Friday
Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen completed around five hundred kilometres over the three hours of free practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The two Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers got through their entire day's programme, which centred on finding the best set-up on the F2008 and on a comparison of various aerodynamic options as well as the two types of Bridgestone tyre. There were no technical problems.
"We come here off the back of two rather difficult races and our target here has to be to extract the full potential of our package and then try to secure the best possible result," commented Team Principal of the Gestione Sportiva, Stefano Domenicali. "Friday's results always have to be looked at with caution, especially at a track like the Hungaroring, which is always very dirty on the first day. Clearly we are up against some very strong opposition on a track where, historically, we have usually struggled a bit, but I am confident we can have a good race."
Felipe Massa: "It's hard to say exactly where we are compared to the opposition, but clearly they are very quick. I did not feel too comfortable on the softest tyre while on the harder one, which I used first, the situation was much better. As usual on the first day at the Hungaroring, it is difficult to understand how the tyres are behaving because you always get a lot of graining, while the situation changes bit by bit as more rubber goes down on the track surface. We know in which direction we have to work and we will do all we can to bring home a good result. It will be tough, but I am confident all the same."
Kimi Raikkonen: "We worked on various set-up options for the car. I also tried the new engine cover, but it is hard to assess it in any detail. The situation is not too bad, the car handles better, but our main rivals seem to be still a little bit quicker than us, even if there is the usual question mark over any difference in the fuel loads. There is still room for improvement and we will concentrate all our efforts on this in preparing for qualifying and the race."
Luca Baldisserri: "Friday's results are always difficult to evaluate as one doesn't know what fuel loads the other teams are running and this is even more the case here in Budapest where the tyres show signs of a lot of graining on the first day. In fact, only the performance over the first lap can be considered a valid indication, before waiting several laps before the tyres clean up again and one can return to showing an acceptable pace. We got through all our planned programme and the new parts we have brought here seem to be working in the right direction. Now we have to analyse the date to be as well prepared as possible for the rest of the weekend."
