Balance problems and puncture for Kobayashi
During the first two practice sessions for the Brazilian Grand Prix the team learned that the C29 looks stronger on the challenging Interlagos circuit than expected. Nick Heidfeld especially was very happy with his car and the general performance, while Kamui Kobayashi is still trying to improve the car’s balance.
In the morning the Japanese went off the track at the very end of the first session because of a puncture. Apparently he had damaged the left rear tyre when he drove over debris.
Nick Heidfeld:
C29.03 / Ferrari 056
1st Practice: 10th / 1:14.000 (23 laps) / 2nd Practice: 8th / 1:13.222 min (40 laps)
“I am quite satisfied because I didn’t expect us to be that strong here, and the lap time isn’t on the edge yet. The long runs were even better than eighth fastest. I feel here I made a step forward with the set up of the car.”
Kamui Kobayashi:
C29.04 / Ferrari 056
1st Practice: 11th / 1:14.004 min (23 laps) / 2nd Practice: 12th / 1:13.610 min (41 laps)
“I think our general performance is quite good, but I’m not yet happy with my car. We have to find the right balance, as it is too understeery. Also I expected a bit more grip from the option tyres. At least the puncture at the end of the first session didn’t cost track time, and we have completed our programme as planned.”
James Key, Technical Director: “We had no development items to test, so it was just a case of setting up the car for both drivers. The track’s grip came in quickly this morning, and was already quite consistent in free practice 1. We scanned the downforce levels, and we are happy with what we have now established. In the afternoon we evaluated the tyres. It looks like we have to work a little bit on the prime tyres to fully understand how they are behaving when warming up, and then also with longevity. The option tyres seem to be fairly consistent, and both drivers did a better lap time on them. Nick seems to be reasonably happy with the car. Kamui’s got a few more balance issues that we will work on overnight. Overall it was a useful day.”
