Belgian Grand Prix Practices
Summer break is over and Formula 1 is back to our screens with the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend and before the race, we’re taking a look at what happened today during the Belgian Grand Prix Practices – Practice 1 and 2.
First up is the Red Bull team who topped the time sheets in practice 2.
Max Verstappen – Red Bull Racing – Belgian Grand Prix Practices
First Practice Session – Position 7
Second Practice Session – Position 1
“It has been a very positive Friday for us, we showed great pace today in comparison with other teams though it’s hard to say what Mercedes is like.“
“Of course, I’m happy to be in front of so many Dutch fans but it’s still not qualifying and not the race either so let’s wait and see.“
“When I went up to first position in the second practice, the fans were all cheering me on with their flags. It’s definitely gives me a boost and motivates me a lot!”
“The track overall is very difficult for setting up the car balance so I also had some struggles with that but in the end it paid off with the last set up change that we did.“
“We’ll see what happens tomorrow, I’m sure we can improve even more but we will have to wait and see what the others are doing but so far we had a very good start to the weekend.“
Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull Racing – Belgian Grand Prix Practices
First Practice Session – Position 6
Second Practice Session – Position 2
“It was a pretty good day today, not bad. I think that on the time sheets we both look good, both Red Bulls are first and second but I don’t think that Mercedes used the super softs and Force India is quite close too.“
“I think we can still be quicker than what we showed today but I feel like we definitely got into the right rhythm.“
“No one is on holiday anymore and we’re back in work mode – the energy around the garage was good and everyone is ready to go.“
“I think we can improve the set up tonight as there are some things I’m not 100% happy with but it’s nice to be back behind the wheel.”
Nico Hulkenberg – Sahara Force India – Belgian Grand Prix Practices
First Practice Session – Position 8
Second Practice Session – Position 3
“It was a good start after the summer break. We didn’t have any issues and we were able to go through our programme as planned.“
“We collected the usual data and we made some very good steps in between the sessions.“
“I wasn’t too happy with the balance in the morning but we were able to improve this for the afternoon even though it’s not perfect“
“There’s still a little bit of work to do overnight and we will be using the information from today but it’s a decent starting point.“
Sergio Perez – Sahara Force India Belgian Grand Prix Practices
First Practice Session – Position 4
Second Practice Session – Position 5
“The first indications are positive but there’s still a lot of work to be done on the car and to solve the issues.“
“We need to understand the car balance a bit more and develop our set-up from there. The weather is going to play a big role and it will affect the tyre degradation strongly but I am sure we will be able to make the right changes we need for the race.“
Marcus Ericcsson – Sauber F1 Team – Belgian Grand Prix Practices
First Practice Session – Position 13
Second Practice Session – Position 15
“It was an interesting day, obviously because of the aero package we introduced here in Spa.“
“My initial feeling is that there are some improvements we need to do and we need more time to try different configurations in order to optimise the package and see how it all works in the best possible way.“
“It was a good first day with the new package and tonight with the new data we will analyse everything and get a better understanding. We will see how it works when it counts, tomorrow.“
Felipe Nasr – Sauber F1 Team – Belgian Grand Prix Practices
First Practice Session – Position 15
Second Practice Session – Position 22
“Today the main focus was evaluating the new package. In the morning we did many scans, analysing different configurations on the aerodynamic side of things and we could already see some benefits from the package which is positive.“
“In FP2 we were then able to concentrate more on short and long-runs on soft as well as the supersoft tyres.”
“From a technical point of view, my top speed has been compromised because of the misfires but I am optimistic that the issues will be sorted out by tomorrow.“
Even though many people were hoping that over the summer-break some teams would find a balance and get their cars performing better, it couldn’t be said for the Scuderia Ferrari team with Vettel struggling for pace.
Overall – the main talking point wasn’t about the Red Bulls but about Mercedes and the penalty Lewis Hamilton is facing – it has now been said that he is facing a 30-place grid penalty, yes 30-PLACE PENALTY after introducing two new engines and breaching the allowance for the year.
Personally – I don’t think it’s right that drivers should be facing the penalty like this, it’s out of their control so I think that teams should be facing this with a fine of some sort and allowing drivers to get on with their job – driving and racing.
Below – you can see the Practice 2 Timesheet along with the tyres selected for the session.
Practice Two timesheet – Belgian Grand Prix Practices
Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 1:48.085 – New Supersofts
Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1:48.341 – New Supersofts
Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, 1:48.657 – New Supersofts
Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1:49.023 – New Supersofts
Sergio Perez, Force India, 1:19.100 – New Supersofts
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:49.161 – New Softs
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:49.244 – New Supersofts
Romain Grosjean, Haas, 1:49.419 – New Supersofts
Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:49.419 – New Supersofts
Esteban Gutierrez, Haas, 1:49.648 – New Supersofts
Pascal Wehrlein, Manor, 1:49.716 – New Supersofts
Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:49.772 – New Supersofts
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:49.782 – Used Prototype Softs
Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, 1:49.916 – New Supersofts
Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1:50.083 – New Supersofts
Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:50.151 – New Prototype Softs
Felipe Massa, Williams, 1:50.157 – New Supersofts
Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso, 1:50.194, – New Supersofts
Kevin Magnussen, Renault, 1:50.375 – New Supersofts
Jolyon Palmer, Renault, 1:50.562, – New Supersofts
Esteban Ocon, Manor, 1:50.659 – New Supersofts
Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 1:50.719 – New Supersofts
More to come soon ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend!
The Formula 1 Girl 🙂
xx