Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel have been very competitive on the first day of practice in Canada. Both finished the day less than half a second behind Max Verstappen and will hope to continue in the high zone when the rain arrives.
One more Friday, the binomial formed by Fernando Alonso and Alpine has offered a promising and exciting performance. What happens is that, until now, this pace has not been reflected at the moment of truth in qualifying, except in Australia. And that day a mechanical failure spoiled everything.
Therefore, it is not the time to launch the bells on the fly, even though the Spanish pilot will finish the first day of the Canadian Grand Prix in fifth position and less than half a second behind the fastest driver of the day: Max Verstappen.
“Fernando was happier with his basic setup from the get-go”
In addition, an old acquaintance and old rival has joined the party, who is experiencing a second youth with a car that has changed a lot since the Spanish Grand Prix. We are talking about Sebastian Vettel and an Aston Martin that, little by little, begins to show his potential.
waiting for the rain
In any case, on a weekend where rain is expected to appear this Saturday, starting the Grand Prix on the right foot is a good sign.
“I think today was another good Friday for us. The car seems to be working quite well on this challenging track.”, Fernando Alonso has declared in this regard. “We haven’t raced in Canada for several years and the feeling is a bit different.”
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“Things like getting on curbs feel very different with ground effect cars. In general, it was a good experience today”, reiterated the Spanish driver. “It looks like there could be a mixed weather forecast tomorrow, so we try to get as much data as possible in preparation for the race».
Pat Frytechnical director, has highlighted the evolution of a track that a few minutes later received an intense storm, so on Saturday the asphalt will be somewhat green again.
“It has been a relatively productive Friday for the team in both sessions. The track, as expected, had little grip at first, but once some rubber was deposited it got quite a bit better and we were able to move forward with our plans,” said the British engineer.
«Fernando enjoyed a quieter afternoon than Esteban. Overall, he was happier with his basic setup from the get-go and that probably shows on the timesheets. Our long runs seemed pretty reasonable with both drivers using hard tires towards the end of the second session,” added Pat Fry.
And what about Sebastian Vettel?
But Alpine and Fernando Alonso could have an unexpected new rival, as Aston Martin has made a very disappointing start to the season. However, the B version of this year’s car, the so-called ‘Green Red Bull’, is slowly beginning to show its potential.
“The track is also well suited,” said Sebastian Vettel. “The car handles well in the low and medium speed corners. And for the fast ones, we’ll have some new parts at Silverstone.”
“We don’t want to exaggerate. We are doing well, but we still cannot get on the podium by our own means, ”clarifies the four-time world champion. «We can already be satisfied if we fight with Mercedes, Alpine and McLaren for the midfield lead. Especially considering where we came from, ”concluded the German.
Today, starting at 7:00 p.m. in mainland Spain, the second round of a reborn duel.
Photos: Alpine F1 Team | Aston Martin Racing