28/09/2018
NEWS STORY
Sergio Perez: "I drove the car this afternoon and the pace looked competitive straight away. I think we can keep up the form we have shown since the summer break and the car feels good. The challenge is making sure we put everything together tomorrow because qualifying is so important here. We've seen how difficult it can be to overtake here, even with a quicker car. It's hard to know how the track will evolve, but we have the data and information to make the right decisions tonight."
Esteban Ocon: "It has been a solid day ending both sessions in the top ten and I'm pleased with the work we've done. We are still testing new parts and it's easier to do that here compared to Singapore, and the feelings are still positive. We are definitely moving in a good direction with the car. The rest of the time we focussed on the usual race preparation and learning how the different tyre compounds behave over the long runs. I think we have done most of our homework to be in good shape for the weekend."
Nicholas Latifi: "The team is still learning about the new upgrade package and I am glad I could help collect more data on those test items. I ran on two different tyre compounds - the ultrasoft and the hypersoft - and it was a straightforward session keeping to the run plan. It has been a couple of months since I drove the car and I could definitely feel the progress the team has made recently."
Otmar Szafnauer: "It was a typical Friday with important data collection and preparation for the weekend. We also worked through a comprehensive aero and mechanical test programme, and evaluated some new parts on the cars. Nicholas did a solid and impressive job for us this morning, and Esteban and Sergio were pretty happy with the car performance by the end of second practice. Now it's all about working through the data and making sure we can be at the front of a very close midfield fight."