(Motorsport-Total.com) – Alan Permane, team principal of Racing Bulls, praised his team’s efforts on Friday at the Spanish Grand Prix (follow live here in the ticker) as an “excellent day,” although an accident by Arvid Lindblad in turn 13 during the second free practice ended his session prematurely.
Read more Monza reveals the true picture: This is how Verstappen reacts to the ADUO result
The VCARB 03 has already been praised for its well-predictable handling characteristics. The car has consistently shown high compliance over curbs and bumps – an ideal feature for the Madring, where riding over the kerbs in the first sector is considered a potential source of lap time.
Indeed, Lindblad demonstrated strong pace in this section of the track at the start of the qualifying simulations in the second practice, but then lost the rear at the exit of “La Monumental” and slid sideways into the wall at turn 13.
Regardless, Lindblad’s lap was enough for fourth place in the day’s standings, and Yuki Tsunoda also managed to break into the top 10 despite a difficult Friday with power steering problems. Despite these setbacks, Permane was fully satisfied with his team’s first day at the Madring.
Racing Bulls good enough for seventh place?
“If you ignore the accident, it was an absolutely excellent day. It really was,” raves Permane after the session. “The car is fast. We started with a decent setup, made some changes from FP1 to FP2, and really improved the car.”
“It looks really fast – definitely a car for the top 10, maybe even for the top 7 in qualifying,” he announces big things. “Yuki didn’t have the easiest runs, but he’s still up there in the top 10 and ahead of all our main competitors. A really solid day.”
When asked if he was confident about getting both cars into Q3, Permane answered affirmatively: “I think so. Of course, we have to wait and see how FP3 goes. I see no reason why we shouldn’t succeed – unless someone else finds something big overnight.”
“I think we can be very happy with our current position. There might be some fine-tuning before FP3. But I see no reason why we shouldn’t be confident about getting both cars into Q3.”
Read more This is what Max Verstappen thinks about the new Formula 1 track in Madrid
Lindblad: “Made a small mistake”
Rookie Lindblad explains that the accident was simply due to him “overdoing it a bit” when turning into the corner. He carried too much momentum and lost the rear. The Brit tried to countersteer to keep the car away from the wall, but at that point the car was already uncontrollable.
However, he emphasizes that he did not lose too much, as the race simulations of the other teams did not last longer than seven or eight laps. He is aware, however, that he needs to improve with the increasing grip level in FP3 and qualifying as the new asphalt continues to build up rubber.
“It’s not an easy track, so we’re all trying to find the limit,” he says. “It’s new for all of us. We just made a small mistake and overdid it a bit in turn 13. That’s really unfortunate. I apologize to the mechanics and the team because it unfortunately means some extra work for them.”
Confidence after fourth place
“But looking at the big picture, it was a good day. We are very fast. I was fourth on my own merit and only two tenths behind P1, which is really strong. There is a lot of confidence in the team for tomorrow. I’m now just focusing on clearing my head, putting this behind me, and taking all the good insights with me,” says Lindblad.
“I didn’t lose too much. In the end, I don’t know exactly how many laps the others did – maybe four or five – so no one had a real long run. I didn’t do any long runs either, but the loss isn’t huge because no one yet has a really deep understanding for Sunday.”
“I was at the limit and did a good job, so I’m happy about that,” says the rookie. “Tomorrow the grip will definitely continue to increase, as is the case on every street circuit, and I just have to keep up.”
“I just have to refocus. The car is fast, we know that. Qualifying is the most important here, and we showed good pace there. So I’m quite optimistic.”
Read more Formula 1 Live Ticker: The Qualifying in Madrid live!