Objectives: Set-up work, tyre runs, and aero evaluations.
Xevi Pujolar, Chief Race Engineer: The grip on track was low in FP1, as is normal here. We began by focusing on some mechanical and aerodynamic tests with everything performing as expected. The track improved in FP2 but we still struggled for grip with both cars, especially on the medium tyre. The track will continue to improve throughout the weekend which should help us, but we still need to look at the data tonight to see what else we can do to improve the car heading into FP3 tomorrow.
Valtteri Bottas: I didn’t have any big problems learning the track and I really enjoyed driving it. It’s quite a tricky circuit, to putting one lap together will be a big challenge for qualifying tomorrow. Looking at the pace we have, particularly in FP2, there’s still more for us to do and we need to work hard tonight to improve for tomorrow.
Pastor Maldonado: We completed the planned runs today but we still don’t have the pace in the car. We need to try to improve in all areas this weekend and it will be tough with the heat. We need to address some of the issues with the balance of the car in order to have a good race.
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