Report: “Decent baseline” after Friday Practice in the Netherlands

The team are analysing the data after a dry day of FP1 and FP2 running at Circuit Zandvoort.

Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant are happy with their day one efforts at the Dutch Grand Prix, with both of our duo sitting in the top 10 at the end of the first practice hour before Alex would close out the day in P3.

Both sessions were affected by red flag periods, but our pair were still able to get plenty of laps under their belts – Albono recorded 56 laps across both sessions, whilst Sarge notched up 62.

With a P5 and P3 so far this weekend, Alex was surprised with how he fared on the Dutch coast today, but is also remaining realistic as we head into the rest of the weekend.

“We’ve seen this before and obviously don’t know what everyone else is doing, however the car felt good from the moment we touched down in FP1,” he commented.

“It’s a bit surprising if I’m honest and I'm sure everyone will make a big step forward tomorrow, but we’ll try hold on and keep the position.

“The traffic tomorrow will be tough, with the need to manage the tyres well but it keeps you on your toes.

“I don’t think today’s pace is representative of the field but either way we’re still in a good place. It’s going to be tight, though I’m feeling quite positive.”

Logan was P7 at the end of FP1 and P12 later in the afternoon following an incredibly tight FP2, and our American racer was pleased following his first taste of Zandvoort in F1 machinery.

“It’s a rollercoaster that’s for sure, and it reminds me of a quicker version of Monaco,” Sarge shared.

“It’s been a pretty good Friday; we’ve had the car in a good window since we put it on the ground this morning, the high fuel runs seem to look pretty good and I feel comfortable.

“We’re in a good place and now it’s about fine tuning. The weather looks pretty tricky tomorrow so that’s probably going to throw a curveball as it has on a lot of weekends this year but, all in all, it’s been a good start.

“I’m ready to have a good day tomorrow.”

Finally, Head of Vehicle Performance Dave Robson was encouraged by the early signs but is well aware it could all change when everyone goes again tomorrow in mixed conditions.

“It was good to get a full day of dry running done under a standard event format,” Dave said.

“We started FP1 in a good place and with the setup well suited to the conditions. We tried a few things in FP2, and we now need to decide what was better and what wasn’t.

“The pace of the car wasn’t too bad today but it’s always difficult to know here as cars don’t always get clear laps and the tyres can be tricky to manage.

“The weather for the next two days is likely to change a bit with a small threat of rain and a change in wind direction.

“We have a decent baseline, but we will still need to keep on top of the evolving conditions if we are to get a good result on Sunday.”