A very wet Silverstone Circuit prevented drivers from gathering the data they needed in Free Practice One for the British Grand Prix weekend, however, when the sun came out in time for the second session, BWT Alpine F1 Team were able to test some of the upgrades they brought with their package this weekend.
Esteban Ocon says that data gathered today suggests that the upgraded car seems to be running smoothly, though the day wasn’t without setbacks, as a crack in the bodywork now needs to be repaired.
“It’s always a pleasure to drive around this iconic track in front of so many passionate fans who were cheering us on all day. On our side, we had very limited running in FP1 due to the weather, so it was nice to get some more laps in the afternoon session.
“We did, however, spot a small crack in the bodywork towards the end of second practice and we preferred to play it safe and not push too hard at the end. We arrived this weekend with a few upgrades on the car, so it was key for us to see how the car performed today,” the Frenchman continued.
“I would like to thank everyone again at the factory who worked so hard to get these upgrades ready for our home race. Preliminary data suggests they are working well, and we are looking forward to hopefully extracting more performance tomorrow.”
“We’ll need to do some extra work tonight” – Fernando Alonso
Two-time world champion, Fernando Alonso, described Friday’s practice sessions as “very difficult” as a result of the rain, but suggested that since everybody was in the same situation, there is no significant disadvantage for the team.
“It was very difficult for everyone today with the wet session in FP1, which limited any meaningful running. We only had FP2 to complete any proper driving and I think we have some further evaluations to make on our package here at Silverstone.
“We would love to have more hours on-track but it’s the same for everyone! We’ll need to do some extra work tonight, so that we can be in the best position possible for tomorrow’s final practice and Qualifying.”
After qualifying on the front row in Canada, Alonso will be hoping to replicate his performance with an upgraded Alpine car.
