18/04/2014
NEWS STORY
Felipe Massa: All of the upgrades we brought here have improved performance which is really positive. Having new parts that we will use is good news as we have made some good steps forward. The balance and feeling of the car is better, however we know that most other teams have also made improvements. The low track temperatures made it slippery, and if it rains tomorrow it will be the same in the race. We also suffered some graining on the front but we can make some changes to sort this problem. Today has been a good day and the long runs gave us some good data to work on.
Valtteri Bottas: Conditions made it hard today, but we had some really good information from the new parts. It took time for me to get used to the track this afternoon after missing this morning, made harder by the fact that there are some difficult corner combinations, but once in the rhythm it was clear we have a better package than in Bahrain. The weather could play its part tomorrow if it rains, this will also mean the track stays slippery for the race which is always interesting. Overall I am feeling positive and I know I can offer a lot more for qualifying and the race.
Felipe Nasr: It was a bit of a challenge as I have never driven this circuit before. So as well as testing new parts I was also learning the track, which compromised how much I could push. We had some new parts to test so I was focusing on that. The track was cold and so grip was low, but we had to work around that. The positive factor is that it's another circuit learnt and more time in the car which is really valuable for me.
Rob Smedley, Head of Vehicle Performance: It has been a good day. We had a complicated and involved programme which we completed, so well done to the guys for that. The morning consisted of aero testing of a number of new components, most of which were positive. This afternoon we looked at mechanical and power unit set-up and completed that programme as well, which means it has been a really busy day. The guys did really well, but we now need to spend tonight analysing all the data to make sure that we are prepared for tomorrow.
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