Formula One report - Wet start to the weekend for Scuderia Marlboro Ferrari with Felipe Massa sixth and Fernando Alonso 11th on a difficult Friday at Istanbul.
Incessant rain has been the key feature so far today, thus affecting the first free practice session for the Turkish Formula One Grand Prix, round four of the Formula 1 World Championship, which takes place this Sunday at the Istanbul Speed Park.
The entire morning session was held in the wet and Fernando Alonso posted the fastest time of 1'38.670 in the Ferrari, ahead of the Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg (1'40.072) and Michael Schumacher (1'40.132.), in the other 150ยบ Italia, Felipe Massa was seventh fastest in 1'40.697.
It’s hard to evaluate the new aerodynamic updates in these difficult conditions, with both Ferrari men switching between extreme wet tyres and intermediates, before doing some practice starts at the end of the session.
The morning downpour was forgotten as the sun forced its way through the Istanbul clouds, allowing Free Practice 2 to go ahead in the dry.
At the end of the session it was the McLaren of Jenson Button who set the best time (1'26.456), ahead of the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg (1'26.521) and the other McLaren of Lewis Hamilton (1'27.033).
Felipe Massa’s 150° Italia was sixth with a time of 1'27.340, while the other Ferrari of Fernando Alonso was further back, he finished with the 11th best time (1'28.069) after a session that was complicated first by a hydraulic problem that was quickly resolved, then a spin forced him to come back into the pit lane after his engine switched off.
The improvement in the weather allowed the drivers to test both tyre compounds, even though Fernando didn’t manage to get the most out of the soft compound, and to carry out some planned aerodynamic tests.
Iin the afternoon, the team could go into a deeper evaluation of the new aerodynamic components brought to this track, between them, the two Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers completed 91 laps, 40 for Fernando and 51 for Felipe.
Fernando Alonso
"These two sessions were very different one to the other, because of the change in the weather. It was useful to do some running in the wet because there is a chance that it might rain again at some point tomorrow. We tried various new solutions and now we have to evaluate them carefully to see what worked and what did not. I had a hydraulic problem which cost me some time in the pits at the start of the second session.
"That contributed to the fact it's difficult for me to give a precise evaluation of tyre behaviour. Then, I also had a spin, when I was being too optimistic in my use of the moveable rear wing. For sure this track puts a heavy load on the tyres, it will be interesting to see what happens in the race. I think we have made progress, but there are various teams that are quicker than us. We have to try and do our best, putting together the best package made up of new components and those we have used before to try and get all the potential out of the car."
Felipe Massa
"From what I could see, we have made a step forward in terms of performance, but we are not yet close enough to the best. It is always difficult to say how much progress one has made after just two free practice sessions. We will have to wait for qualifying to get a clearer picture. We are working very hard to catch up and I think we are on the right road, but the others are definitely not standing still. For example, Mercedes seems to have made a significant step forward here.
"Would I prefer a wet race? Sure, if it turns out we are not competitive then the rain would open up more possibilities, but it could also go well in the dry and it does seem as though the weather is improving. This is a very demanding circuit, but I really like driving here because there are so many different types of corner."
Pat Fry
"It's always difficult to say what the real order is after Friday's free practice sessions and that is even more the case when one of them takes place in the wet, as was the case today. At least this morning we were able to get a first impression of the balance and handling of our car on both types of rain tyre. However, we didn't do that many laps because the weather forecast for the rest of the weekend is still uncertain, therefore we have to try and manage the few sets of tyres available to us as well as possible.
"In the afternoon, we concentrated mainly on evaluating new aerodynamic components and, as usual, comparing the two types of dry tyre. Unfortunately, we lost at least half an hour with Fernando, because of an hydraulic problem and so the Spaniard was not exactly in the best of shape to get the most out of the soft tyres. As for Felipe, he managed to get through the entire planned programme. Some of the new elements, like the rear wing for example, immediately showed good results, while others, such as the floor and the front wing, still need further careful evaluation."
The third and final free practice session will take place tomorrow at 11h00 local time.
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