F1 | Belgian GP | “A lot of work to do” for Ferrari after a troubled Friday
Ferrari is working to fix Leclerc’s damaged car while looking for a good set-up following a difficult debut in today’s tricky free practice sessions.
The weekend didn’t start off in the best way for Ferrari in Spa. This morning’s first practice session didn’t appear too troubling for the team, as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz came in respectively in 4th and 5th position. In the second session, however, things didn’t run as smoothly.
“It’s great to be back, especially at a circuit like this which always gives you a great feeling in a Formula 1 car. Today I enjoyed myself. In terms of performance, however, we didn’t have the best of Fridays,” commented Sainz at the end of FP2.
“We couldn’t complete a proper long run in FP2 and the short runs were also tricky with the balance of the car. We have a bit of homework to do overnight, but I’m confident we can improve and be in a better place tomorrow.”
The Spaniard ended the second session in 11th place after closing his best lap in 1:45.517s and he is now concentrated on tomorrow’s quali, which could take place in wet conditions.
“The weather looks uncertain for Saturday and Sunday. The rain can appear anytime, as we saw today with F3 qualifying, so we’ll be prepared for any conditions.”
An even more complicated afternoon for his teammate Charles Leclerc, as he was forced to abort his first FP2 stint due to a yellow flag and retired after ending up in the barriers between Turn 6 and Turn 7 on his second attempt.
“We have quite a bit of work to do. FP1 was alright but FP2 was a bit more difficult. We’ve got tonight to work on the set-up of the car and hopefully we can have a better day tomorrow,” he said at the end of the session.
“I was reasonably happy with the car balance but the performance is not where we expected it to be. The track conditions were tricky but it was the same for everyone. It looks like it will remain like this for the rest of the weekend, so we have to get used to it.”
The team is now working on fixing the damage his SF21 suffered during FP2 on the front left suspension, to be sure the car is up and running for tomorrow’s qualifying.
“It wasn’t great to finish the first day by touching the wall, but tomorrow and Sunday will be the days that count and I will make sure to learn from my mistake.”
