Fahrerstimmen – Tag 1

“The weather played a big part today meaning I managed just two timed laps, I did however top the time sheets so that is a nice positive. We haven’t been able to test anything on the car since Australia, and it’s unfortunate that due to the delays today we just didn’t get the running time we had hoped for, it also meant we don’t have a lot of track data to review. I understand the reasons behind not running, the weather simply meant the helicopter couldn’t fly and that is integral to our safety in the case of an accident. The balance of the car seemed quite good in the wet but Ferrari and Mercedes weren’t really running so we don’t have a competitive comparison. I think the forecast is looking better tomorrow so at least we will get some dry laps to try a few new things heading into Qualifying, for now the most important thing is laps, the more the better. For the fans it could be good tomorrow as everyone will be making up for lost time, so a lot of track action.”

There’s not much to say today! We did a few laps on the wet tyres, which felt OK in the few laps I did, but it was not really enough to understand the tyres. We had a few laps with barely anyone on track. Whilst safety is so important, it was a fairly uneventful Friday and I hope we can have nicer conditions on Saturday and Sunday for us on track, but also for the fans so they get to see the spectacle of the race!

You can’t change the weather, it is what it is, and it was such a shame for the fans that they didn’t get to see us on track. It’s obviously not ideal, as for me it was the first time here and the first time in a Formula One car in the wet, so I would have liked to have run a bit more today. The conditions were not fully wet, so I was on intermediates and, as the track was drying, it was even becoming a bit too dry for them. I only did seven laps, so there is still a lot to do. I hope there are a lot more laps to do before qualifying, as I have a lot more to learn. I am now just going to focus on tomorrow and make the best of it.

"A very particular Friday, as the conditions were not good enough for the helicopter to fly, so we spent most of the time in the garage today. In this morning's FP1 we managed to at least do an install lap and check the car, making sure everything was working well. In FP2 we unfortunately didn't complete any laps and I spent an hour and a half in my seat, watching the session on TV! It was like sitting on the sofa at home – at least I confirm I'm very comfortable when I sit in the cockpit! Tomorrow's FP3 will definitely be a tough and intensive session. There's now a lot to learn in a little amount of time, but it's the same for everyone."

“It wasn’t a great afternoon for anyone, for us, the fans, the TV viewers, anyone waking up back in Europe. We managed a few laps in the morning, which is better than nothing, and I’ve got a few ideas of work we need to do and where we need to go. We were planning to try that in FP2 but, obviously, that didn’t happen. It’s going to be a very busy Saturday morning and we’re going to think about what the race is going to be. The car didn’t feel too bad, so I’m pretty encouraged by that. We’ll see how things develop through the weekend.”

"I'd like to thank all the engineers and mechanics, they were extremely busy today...! Okay, of course it's a real pity that we were only able to complete a few laps in the morning and none in the afternoon... Surprisingly, we were still able to get some interesting information and tomorrow, if it's dry, we need to be very alert, try to have a clean programme and complete as many laps as possible. The forecast for the rest of the weekend is quite unstable, so we will see what happens – it could be an interesting race!"

“It’s good to see the fans in the grandstands and how much they enjoy Formula 1, but it’s a shame that we didn’t put any laps in for them in FP2, and very few in FP1. Hopefully we can give them a good show tomorrow and Sunday. “I know this track well, I know the tyres, I know the car, so I don’t mind going straight into qualifying. Should we need wet tyres or dry tyres, I have all the data on my hard disk already!”

“It’s pretty frustrating that FP2 is over and we didn’t get to drive but at least we managed a handful of laps this morning. It’s a shame for us drivers but also a shame for the fans who have turned up today to support us. At the same time I understand what happened and I do support the decision as safety comes first. The track conditions were fine but if someone was to have an accident and the helicopter couldn’t airlift them to hospital then it could be a major issue. The weather forecast looks a little better for tomorrow so hopefully we will be able to drive and get some practice in ahead of the race on Sunday. If it does rain on Sunday then the exciting part is that none of us have really done any wet driving yet which will create a more open playing field and potentially a very interesting race. I’m definitely ready to stop talking and start driving.”

Zunächst einmal tut es mir für die Fans wirklich sehr leid. Heute kamen so viele Leute hierher, um uns im Training zu sehen. Aber leider bekamen sie abgesehen von ein paar Runden im 1. Training nicht viel zu sehen. Das ist sehr schade. Ich verspreche, dass wir alles geben werden, um ihnen morgen ein spannendes Qualifying und danach einen ganz besonderen Renntag zu liefern. Vielen Dank an alle unsere loyalen Fans für ihre Unterstützung. Für morgen sieht das Wetter glücklicherweise okay aus. Wenn es am Samstag oder Sonntag nass ist, ist das kein Drama. Wir haben ein paar Informationen über die Intermediates – mehr oder weniger so viele wie alle anderen Teams auch. Wir befinden uns also alle in der gleichen Situation. Trockene Bedingungen stellen hingegen derzeit ein Fragezeichen dar. Hoffentlich können wir morgen im 3. Training im Trockenen fahren.

“There was nothing really learned today, so hopefully we can get some driving in tomorrow. The forecast is meant to be better. We’ll see. We want to drive, we want to be on track, but it was out of our control, so what can we do?”

“Unfortunately there’s not much to say about today. I did get one flying lap on the intermediate tyres but that was it. We made a front wing adjustment and I was starting another flying lap when I was caught out and spun at the entry to turn three. Sadly the car ended up in the gravel so that was the end of my session. Running was stopped shortly afterwards due to the helicopter issue so we didn’t lose out today. FP2 was a real shame for everyone.”

“Well, it wasn’t a very exciting day for any of us. Nobody wants to wait in the car or hang about in the garage, so it’s a shame I only got one run in FP1 today, in wet conditions. There will be a lot for me to catch up with tomorrow. Hopefully, conditions will be better and we’ll be able to get some decent running. “It’s true we have some new bits on the car and we would’ve preferred to spend more time on track to evaluate them, but it’s the same for everyone, after all. “From my side, for sure, it’s the first time I’ve driven here so catching up will be one of our key tasks tomorrow. We’ll try to make the most of it.”

„Wir konnten nur ein paar Runden fahren – und das auch nur im „Virtual Safety Car“-Modus. Es ist natürlich sehr schade für uns, aber auch für die Fans. Hoffentlich sind die Wetteraussichten für das Wochenende besser, damit wir den Fans eine gute Show bieten können.“

„Leider sind wir heute kaum zum Fahren gekommen. Das hat natürlich dazu geführt, dass wir unser geplantes Programm nicht abarbeiten konnten – doch die Bedingungen waren heute für alle gleich. Ich hoffe, dass wir morgen früh mehr Runden absolvieren können, bevor wir ins Qualifying starten.“

“In terms of track time we ran faultlessly today; unfortunately the weather circumstances meant it was only for three installation laps. It was pretty slippey-slidey out there, but I was happy with both the wet and intermediate tyres for the limited time I used them. It’s a shame for the fans and I’m hoping for everyone’s sake that the weather improves tomorrow.”

“A shame about today, especially for the people who came here to watch, but what else could we do? Over the past few days, there have been so many fans and so many messages from people saying how delighted they were with the result in Australia. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow and let’s hope we have the right set-up, otherwise it will be difficult. However, I’d add that I’m confident we can do it and tomorrow the weather will be better.”

“Today we learned nothing: after the installation lap we wanted to go back out on track, but the session was interrupted. It’s a shame, but it’s the same for everyone. You can’t change the weather and sometimes things like this happen. It was not an ideal day, but even if we had run today, it would have been in the wet and tomorrow it’s not due to rain. So we must wait and see what the weather will be and how things will go.”

“With just two out-laps to my name, I didn’t really learn very much today. It was useful being in the car because I was able to get used to the various elevation changes on the track and I got to try the intermediate tyre, but of course I would have preferred to do a lot more running. Tomorrow looks like it will be a very busy day, especially in FP3, so let’s hope conditions are better and we can get on with our programme. I hope the fans are not too disappointed by today’s lack of action: hopefully they’ll keep coming to watch and they’ll be rewarded by an exciting race on Sunday.”

“It’s always frustrating when you cannot do any running because it’s a lost chance to prepare for the weekend. It’s also a shame for the fans: the grandstand had a good crowd and they have been so supportive throughout the day. The hope is that the rest of the weekend will give them something to cheer about. Missing all today’s running is a challenge, not just for tomorrow, but also for Sunday because FP3 is a very short session to recover all the lost ground. I am still positive about our weekend: I think today’s lack of running can turn into an opportunity for us and I hope we can benefit from it and come away with a strong result.”

Das war offensichtlich kein großartiger Tag. Ich bin bislang in diesem Jahr eine Runde auf den Regenreifen für 2017 gefahren. So viel ich nach dieser Out-Lap sagen kann, fühlen sie sich relativ ähnlich wie im letzten Jahr an. Deshalb mache ich mir keine besonderen Gedanken darüber. Aber heute müssen wir auf das Gesamtbild achten. Die Strecke war absolut in Ordnung und wir hätten heute den ganzen Tag problemlos fahren können, wenn da nicht die Wolken gewesen wären. Das ist nicht gut für die Fans vor dem Fernseher und noch schlimmer für all die Menschen auf den Tribünen, die Geld bezahlt haben, um aus der Stadt oder gar anderen Ländern hierherzukommen. Sie haben heute kaum Rennautos zu sehen bekommen. Das muss hart für sie sein. Wir müssen mit der FIA und der FOM zusammenarbeiten, um eine Lösung oder einen alternativen Plan zu finden, sollten wir zukünftig ähnliche Umstände haben.