The first data points to a fair turn behind Red Bull and Ferrari. Back in the McLaren range, Haas is sinking for the time being, while Alfa Romeo has confirmed the C42 is a car that adapts well to any track.
The Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN completed several laps on the track in the first two free practice sessions for the Australian Grand Prix, and collected a lot of useful data. Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu have confirmed the good performance the team showed in the opening two rounds of the season and are now training technicians to better prepare for tomorrow’s qualifiers.
Valtteri Bottas
Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN C42 (Chassis 01 / Ferrari)
FP1: 10 degrees / 1: 21.247 (21 laps)
FP2: 7/1: 20.55 (25 laps)
“I am very happy with where we are and think I have a realistic chance of keeping my Q3 streak – I don’t want to give that up! That is our goal, if we prepare the car tonight, we must fight for a place in the top ten. We’ve been able to race different vehicles today and the way they work pretty much reflects what we’ve been expecting, so we’re confident we can use it well, and I didn’t suffer from a lot of deterioration, which is a good thing. In general, I am satisfied – I also like the layout of the new track. It’s fast, overtaking should be easier but not by much: I think they did a good job“.
Zhou Guanyu
Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN C42 (Chassis 02 / Ferrari)
FP1: 15 degrees / 1: 21.821 (21 laps)
FP2: 15°/1:21,063 (23 laps)
“The first effect of this track was interesting, and perhaps not quite as I imagined it to be. You’ve done many laps in the simulator, but only when you’re really here do you realize how close you are to the grass and how small and narrow the track is. It’s a tough track but I like it: it’s good to ride and I’m getting up to speed. I’m still learning about the car and the engineering and how to get the most out of it throughout the weekend: having to learn a new track is an added challenge, but I love it – not a big deal. Our pace seems competitive, and I’m optimistic about tomorrow. We still have a lot of work to do with the engineers, so hopefully we’ll find more overnight. If we put our tour together, we should be in a good place“.
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