20/10/2024
NEWS STORY
Sven Smeets, Sporting Director: The track temperatures were higher today than the rest of the week, so tyre management was always going to be important. We decided to split the cars on to different start tyres to increase our chances to get into the points in the race.
Alex started on the Medium but was unfortunately hit in Turn 1 from behind and could not avoid hitting Ocon. We were able to pit him under the Safety Car to change the front wing, but permanent floor damage meant his race was over before it had really started.
Franco started on the Hard tyre and lost some positions after the start. When the first two-stoppers pitted and with how the race unravelled, we decided to try and make the one stop work. A great first long stint kept him in the running for points and when Magnussen stopped for a second time, we decided to pit Franco for his one and only stop. He just came out in front and from then onwards he showed great pace till the end securing P10 and a valuable point.
We still need to understand our poor performance from yesterday but with the good race pace today, we are looking forward to next week's race in Mexico.
Franco Colapinto: After a tough Saturday we managed to bounce back in the race. We showed great strength as a team to turn it around today. RB, Haas and Alpine have all been strong this weekend so it was going to be difficult to get in the points. I knew we had good race pace and when I found my rhythm in the clean air we really pushed on. I've learned a lot from my first Sprint weekend which can only benefit me going forward. I still need to keep learning to help the team progress in the right direction. Hopefully we can build on this in the next two races of the triple header.
Alex Albon: It's been a tough weekend. I feel like I got a little bit pinched on Turn 1 and once I had damage, that was it. It was a race in that I thought we were going to retire the car but were trying to play the long game and likely help out Franco with his race. The car was okay, but I feel like I've been struggling all weekend and we just haven't been able to find the right spot with the Soft tyres. It's a disappointing result but it's only the beginning of the triple header, so hopefully we can make some changes and come back stronger in Mexico.