Friday: the drivers’ statements in Bahrain!

Karun Chandhok – 24th and 24th: « My car was observed this morning. I was hoping it would be fully operational a bit later than my teammate’s. We know all the work systems and we are looking forward to the third free practice session. We can still welcome this first race weekend positively. »

**Nico Hülkenberg – 12th and 6th:** « It is always very difficult to get an idea of where everyone stands, but I am convinced that we had a relatively good day today. We accomplished everything we set out to do. The ambition remains the same, to secure a spot in Q3 tomorrow and finish the weekend with some points. »

Lucas di Grassi – 22nd and 21st: « Even though it was a difficult day, we actually had a good session this afternoon. For me, everything is new. I wasn’t able to drive this morning. The first laps in the afternoon were key to my performance and helped us really get into the weekend. The mechanics did an excellent job on the car and everything seems to be working properly so far. Now we just need to work on the performance that we obviously haven’t been able to optimize. »

Fernando Alonso – 2nd and 9th: « This Friday was a bit different from usual for me, as it was the first with my new team. We mainly focused on comparing the two types of tires to be as well-prepared as possible for Sunday’s race. We tried to obtain a consistent car over a long run. Obviously, with such high temperatures, tire degradation was faster. From what we saw, the indications we got from testing were confirmed with four teams that can be considered favorites, although there might be some surprises, like Force India for example. The new track isn’t bad: It’s fun, even though there are a bit too many bumps that I hadn’t noticed when I inspected it by bike. »

Kamui Kobayashi – 18th and 11th: « After losing some time on the track this morning due to a puncture, we were able to complete our program in the afternoon. We now have to look at the setup of the car. I feel that the new circuit is quite challenging for us, but we will work on it. I have no complaints about the heat as I definitely prefer it compared to winter in Europe. »

Mike Gascoyne – Lotus Technical Director: « A happy day for the team after a very long night concerning the preparation of today’s cars. Everyone worked very hard, and it is satisfying to see us on track and then delivering solid performances throughout the day. We tested an aerodynamic upgrade this afternoon, and we will review the results of this debrief. Now, we are looking forward to another exercise, the qualifying session. »

Lewis Hamilton – 6th and 2nd: « On the track, it was very hot, so the tire degradation of both compounds was very intense. But I think degradation is something we can control, integrate it into your driving style, and moderate it on each lap. However, it’s difficult to quantify it in the long term. The new section of the track seems to be very bumpy and challenging, but everyone is in the same boat. Similarly, our car was very heavy with a lot of fuel. Overall, today I didn’t feel too bad. We don’t really have a complete understanding of where we stand compared to other teams. As a result, the positions on today’s time sheets don’t really reflect the overall pace. »

Sebastian Vettel – 13th and 5th: « So, it was the first day of the first race. Unfortunately, we didn’t do much driving today. The track was still green this morning. In the second session, my brakes were changed and Mark Webber wasn’t able to do the whole session, so it wasn’t ideal. I would have liked more time on the track, but it’s not Christmas and we don’t get things for free. We have a lot of work, but we know where we need to improve, so we will work on that. »

Adrian Sutil – 1st and 12th: It was time to be racing after being out of the car for so long! This morning, we checked all the systems and setups that we learned during the tests, but nobody really knew where we were going to be. Our goal is to bring both cars into Q3 for this weekend, and I think we now have a good baseline with the car and good downforce compared to last year. We can be in the top ten with this car. With Tonio Liuzzi, we are working together. If we can qualify in the top ten now, why not. I would say it’s a promising start for sure.

Nico Rosberg – 8th and 1st: « We improved the car throughout the day, but it wasn’t at its best with this new track, with less downforce, and the conditions were very dusty this morning. So, we had a bit of a balance problem, but that improved this afternoon. There are areas where we can still improve, but we also have a good comparison with the tire compounds over the long runs. Overall, we learned a lot today, so it’s a good start to the weekend. »

Michael Schumacher – 10th and 3rd: « We worked very well this afternoon after having some balance issues this morning. The car was much better in the second session, although I’m still a bit rusty on the abs. I need to get back into that routine. On the long runs, the car is good and once you find the rhythm, everything feels very natural. I’m happy with our work today and feel ready for the weekend. »

Jaime Alguersuari – 11th and 16th: A good day where we completed all the laps we could, trying several different things. I think we improved during the day, but it’s hard to know where you stand with the wide range of fuel loads used. I feel the performance is there and if we have another good day tomorrow, we should then be able to make the most of the car. The track was very green this morning, but the rubber started to lay down this afternoon. The new section is nothing special and is very slow, but I was familiar with it having worked on the simulator beforehand.