Fry cautiously optimistic of new updates
The second running of the Indian Grand Prix got underway in straightforward fashion for Scuderia Ferrari. In the three hours of free practice, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa completed a total of 105 laps; 58 for the Spaniard and 47 for the Brazilian.
Fernando Alonso:
“This is an interesting circuit: after the longest straight, there’s a combination of high speed corners which are very nice to drive. Today the track was still very dirty, which is usually the case at new tracks that aren’t used very often. Tomorrow, when it will deliver more grip, it will be even more fun. The track conditions, which change rapidly lap after lap, make it even more complicated to understand the situation relating to the hierarchy down the pit lane. We must study the data carefully to make the right choices for the rest of the weekend. Nothing much to say about tyre performance: from what we’ve seen today, we can hope there’s one less problem to take into consideration.”
Felipe Massa:
“It was a rather difficult day, especially in the afternoon. The first session went well and we were able to do everything we had planned. But in the second one, when we switched from the Hard to the Soft, the balance of the car was no longer the best and it was becoming very difficult to drive, to such an extent that I ended up spinning. Unfortunately, that damaged a tyre and so I was unable to do the work over a long run which had been one of our priorities. In the final half hour, I therefore concentrated on pit stop practice, the only thing possible with the tyres in that condition.”
Pat Fry, Technical Director:
“As usual on a Friday, we had a busy programme to get through. In the morning we concentrated on evaluating some aerodynamic updates we had for this race, while the afternoon was given over mainly to the comparison of the two types of tyre, over short and long runs. Unfortunately, while Fernando had no problems and was able to carry out his programme normally, the same could not be said for Felipe: one of the settings on his car was incorrect and that compromised the balance of the car and prevented him from getting the most out of the set of Softs and also led to him spinning, which damaged one of the tyres, pretty much ending his session. We have to evaluate the data carefully to understand which of the updates we brought here will be used, but first impressions seem to be positive.”
