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WHAT WE LEARNED FROM FP1 AND
FP2
- The relative lack of track action meant we didn’t actually learn so much
today. FP1 was largely written off due to a loose manhole cover, while the
red flags were also out intermittently in FP2 as various drivers hit the
wall, interrupting quali and race simulations.
- There was consequently a high degree of track evolution when the cars were
running, making it hard to get an accurate read on relative performance.
- The performance gap between the medium and soft tyres is expected to be
between 1.2 to to 1.4 seconds, but due to the track evolution, a higher gap
of around 1.7 seconds was seen – because the cars were running on the faster
compound as the circuit improved.
- Wear and degradation is low, thanks to the smooth surface and low energy
demands. As a result, teams have concentrated on the soft and medium tyres
rather than the hard.
- Temperatures have been variable throughout the week so far, with 20
degrees centigrade ambient and 38 degrees asphalt during FP2.
MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF CAR RACING
“It was a slightly inconclusive opening day here in Baku, which demonstrated
all the unpredictability that a street circuit can offer. Because there was
so little running in FP1, the track was especially slippery in FP2, and the
subsequent track evolution – as well as more red flag stoppages when cars
hit the wall – made it hard to get a true picture of the performance gap
between the compounds. We’d expect the current gap of 1.7 seconds between
the medium and soft to come down tomorrow, although the gaps will always be
quite big on such a long track. However, we’ve already seen some themes
emerge: wear and degradation are very low, and there’s been a particularly
strong performance from Ferrari on both tyre compounds during the opening
day. FP3 tomorrow will be very significant as the cars prepare for
qualifying on what should finally be a level playing field, after most of
their short and long runs were interrupted today.” |
FREE PRACTICE 1 – TOP 3 TIMES
DRIVER TIME COMPOUND
Leclerc 1m47.497s MEDIUM C3 NEW
Vettel 1m49.598s MEDIUM C3 NEW
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FREE PRACTICE 2 – TOP 3 TIMES
DRIVER TIME COMPOUND
Leclerc 1m42.872s SOFT C4 NEW
Vettel 1m43.196s SOFT C4 NEW
Hamilton 1m43.541s SOFT C4 NEW
FP1 - BEST TIME BY COMPOUND
COMPOUND DRIVER TIME
HARD C2 - -
MEDIUM C3 Leclerc 1m47.497s
SOFT C4 - -
FP2 - BEST TIME BY COMPOUND
COMPOUND DRIVER TIME
HARD C2 - -
MEDIUM C3 Leclerc 1m44.748s
SOFT C4 Leclerc 1m42.872s
MOST LAPS BY COMPOUND SO FAR
COMPOUND DRIVER LAPS
HARD C2 Kvyat, Raikkonen, Russell 1
MEDIUM C3 Grosjean, Norris, Raikkonen, Vettel 18
SOFT C4 Bottas 19
TYRE STATISTICS OF THE DAY
HARD MEDIUM SOFT
Kms driven* 18 1508 1544
Sets used overall** 3 23 31
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