Off track for Pascal Wehrlein
Marcus Ericsson and Pascal Wehrlein tested new aerodynamic parts for this eleventh round in Hungary. Despite this, both drivers occupied the back of the standings. Pascal Wehrlein had a scare, suffering a major off-track incident at the end of the day, which ended his session.
Just before the summer break, Sauber chose to bring new elements to the Hungarian circuit. A new bodywork and a new cooling system were introduced. While the day unfolded smoothly for the Swede, Pascal Wehrlein lost control of his car in turn 11, crashing violently into the barriers during the second practice session. Fortunately, without any physical injury.
Marcus Ericsson => FP1: 18th (1:21.785) / FP2: 19th (1:21.559)
Marcus Ericsson experienced a trouble-free Friday. He was able to test the new components.
The Swede recounts his day: « The day started well. We were able to make improvements to the car, thanks to the new components. Even if it is not yet visible on the timesheet. »
Marcus Ericsson continues on his feelings at the wheel: The car handled well – in terms of driving – right from the start of FP1. FP2 was less linear than the morning session. We now need to work on how to optimize the car’s settings for tomorrow and Sunday.
Promising first day of driving here in 🇭🇺. Let’s have a good FP3 and Q tomorrow 👊🏻 #ME9 #HungarianGP #F12017 📸 Jerry Andre pic.twitter.com/Pt6Z9QZGAb
— Marcus Ericsson (@Ericsson_Marcus) 28 juillet 2017
Pascal Wehrlein => FP1: 20th (1:22.490) / FP2: 20th (1:21.722)
For his part, the German had a very eventful end of day with his off-track excursion. To make sure everything was okay, he went to the medical center. Pascal Wehrlein already experienced an incident last January during the Race of Champions, causing him vertebrae injuries.
He reflects on his two practice sessions: « I’m disappointed to have had this incident and ended up in the barriers during FP2. Fortunately, I feel fine. Before that, we were in the process of gathering positive feedback with the new aerodynamic parts. We will look at the data to understand the causes of the incident. »
Pascal Wehrlein hopes – despite this setback – to shine for the rest of the weekend: « I hope we will be able to perform well for the rest of the weekend. »
😮 A big impact, but @PWehrlein is OK #HungarianGP 🇭🇺 #F1 pic.twitter.com/RPMKgQQZmD
— Formula 1 (@F1) 28 juillet 2017
