Friday: The Ferrari is making slow progress according to Alonso

Fernando Alonso – 3rd and 3rd:

« It’s not a surprise to see the two Red Bulls at the front of the pack: in recent races, they had the best package, so today’s result is logical. We know what our strengths are; team work and reliability – and we will make the most of it in the battle. The updates we brought here seem to be working, but we still need to look at the data more closely before having a definitive verdict. I’m happy with that, but it’s also true that, while we make small steps forward in each race, so do the others, so the gap between us remains unchanged. Would I be happy to be 3rd again tomorrow afternoon? Without a doubt, but it’s only Friday and we’ve been in this position before, and on Saturday, other cars were ahead of us. The circuit? A nice surprise, even if we had an idea of what to expect with the simulator: it’s very demanding, especially the first sector which is very fast and where you can really feel the acceleration of a Formula 1 car. The track is very smooth and not at all porous: it reminds me a lot of Portimão in Portugal, so if it were to rain, it could be like driving on glass. »

Felipe Massa – 6th and 6th:

« Today’s day was mainly dedicated to getting used to this new circuit: we covered many laps, mainly for this purpose. This morning, the circuit was dirty and very slippery: I can’t recall ever driving on a surface that offers so little grip! Then the situation improved, and we started to gain a bit more confidence and find the right trajectories. I really like the circuit: it’s fun to drive here, and I think we’ll see a great show throughout the weekend. The tires? Hard for sure! It will be important to figure out how to get them up to temperature properly, especially concerning the qualifications. »