26/08/2022
NEWS STORY
Yuki Tsunoda: "It's been an ok day, the conditions weren't great, but still I think we've managed to gather a lot of good data. We've had some traditional Spa weather here today, with rain in only one section of the track, so it's been quite tricky, but I like this circuit and I've really enjoyed the day. After the summer break it was great to just be back out in the car, having fun driving and getting back into the rhythm. In FP2 we made a good step forward, but it wasn't enough. We know there's some areas we can work on tomorrow to make a bigger improvement for Quali and the race."
Pierre Gasly: "It felt good to be back driving after the summer break. Liam was obviously in the car for the first session, so I tried to give him a few tips before he headed out and help him where I could. It's a great experience for a young driver, being able to get out in an F1 car for a proper session and I think he really enjoyed it. As for my session, it's not been that easy, having missed FP1, but I think we've still managed to gather some good data. We've got quite a lot to work on, I'd like to make some changes to the balance ahead of tomorrow, so we'll review everything tonight and look at the best solutions, but I'm pleased with how the day has gone overall. There's quite a few drivers starting from the back for the race, so for sure we need to try and make the most out of these opportunities and aim to be as far up the grid as possible."
Liam Lawson: "I've enjoyed getting to drive the car around such an iconic track, it's been a crazy experience. The car was great to drive, the limit is so much further than I was ready for, it took a bit of time to get used to that, but I think I built up the pace steadily on the Hards and was ready to push on the Softs at the end, so it's a bit of a shame I didn't get the opportunity to really go for it. I want to say a big thank you to Scuderia AlphaTauri and Red Bull for giving me this opportunity. It's been really cool spending the weekend with the team, it's a crazy step up from F2. There's so many more people than I'm used to, but having this opportunity is really great for us young drivers so we can understand what it's like in an F1 team and learn as much as we can. I've loved every second of today and am extremely appreciative for this opportunity."
Jonathan Eddolls (Chief Race Engineer): "It was great to welcome Liam back to the team, with him taking over the FP1 testing duties in Pierre's AT03. The conditions were not straightforward for his session - cold temperatures, hard tyres, damp track, a Red Flag and rain at the end of the session - but he kept his head down and completed all of the work we asked of him. He did a good job. Yuki's focus was based around some aero testing and also to evaluate the new rear wing we have brought for this event. Moving to FP2 our aim was to improve the balance, which was understeer limited. We made good steps, but there is still more work to do for tomorrow. The light drizzle at the end of the session limited the long run data we could all gather, so we will head into Sunday with less tyre information than usual, but it's the same for everyone and could help present some opportunities, particularly in light of the fact that many drivers are taking PU penalties."
Check out our Friday gallery from Spa here.