Doohans rues bad weather for lack of running
Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan was intent on gathering experience behind the wheel of A524, but the rainy conditions in the opening session curtailed his running.
Former F2 driver Jack Doohan travelled to Montreal to complete his first free practice outing with Alpine in 2024, but he was dogged by bad luck as he could only rack up a total of four laps.
The Australian could have completed more laps, but with rain predicted to remain in the rest of the Montreal race weekend, the French outfit elected to save tyres.
“It was not the most exciting FP1 session for me, with limited running due to the weather conditions. With the forecast for the remainder of the weekend also looking uncertain, it was important to save tyres and keep some sets back in case the rain remains.
"We were able to get an installation lap in with the Wet tyre and make sure the car was running fine.
"Then when the track was drying towards the end, we finished off with an out lap on the Soft tyre and conduct practice starts. So, we still managed to gather some useful data. In the end, the weather is outside of our control, but we made the most of what we could given the conditions," commented Doohan.
Having missed the opening session to hand over his car to Doohan, Esteban Ocon returned to action in the second one-hour session. The Frenchman managed 31 laps during the second hour of practice, meaning that he was ultimately not handicapped by missing FP1.
"It was a good day, despite the fact that Jack could not get much running in FP1 because of the poor weather conditions, which was also a pity for him.
"In the afternoon we were able to drive under both dry and wet conditions and we caught up on what was not possible this morning and pull together some information which was good.
"The track is much better with the new surface here. It is much more enjoyable, so well done to the circuit organisers. We hope that tomorrow we will be able to properly test the grip of the track here at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. I hope that we will have a good Qualifying on Saturday," added Ocon.
His team-mate Pierre Gasly was trying to go quick in the first session and ended up in the top 10, but he fell down the order in FP2. The Frenchman hopes that weather conditions will affect the rest of the weekend as it could open up possibilities for his team.
Pierre Gasly: “Overall, the car felt good today. Although, due to the weather conditions and heavy rain we did not get much running in. But it is the same for everyone else. So there are lots of question marks for all the teams, especially with the new asphalt.
"We will see what the rest of the weekend has in store for us. Obviously, it would be great to continue where we have left off in Monaco, but we are conscious that Monaco is a very unique track and we know where we stand with our car’s current performance.
"Hopefully, the weather conditions here for the rest of the weekend can mix things up and open up opportunities for us. We will work hard to make sure we are ready to grab them if they present themselves to us."
