2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Friday
Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN completed an issue-free practice day at the Baku Street Circuit. Throughout the two sessions, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu worked with the team to improve their C42, decked in a special livery for the weekend, in preparation for tomorrow's qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Valtteri Bottas (car number 77):
Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN C42 (Chassis 03/Ferrari)
FP1: 15th / 1:48.078 (22 laps)
FP2: 15th / 1:45.115 (25 laps)
"We progressed pretty well throughout the day, even though the start was a bit tricky, with grip levels and car balance not quite there. The track feels a little bumpier than last year, but nothing to worry about: we didn't have any issues with bouncing, thankfully. We made quite a few setup changes during the day, and by the end the car was getting much better. I am sure there is more to unlock from it, and I didn't get many clear laps either, including the final one in FP2, where I was making big gains but locked up a tyre and lost the lap. As usual, the midfield is very close, and I'm positive we can make a step forward overnight and improve quite a bit. I'm optimistic for qualifying and for the rest of the weekend."
Zhou Guanyu (car number 24):
Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN C42 (Chassis 04/Ferrari)
FP1: 16th / 1:48.222 (24 laps)
FP2: 16th / 1:45.264 (24 laps)
"I had an enjoyable day out there: I like this track and I feel I got up to speed with the layout reasonably quickly, especially compared to my experiences in Jeddah and Monaco. I enjoyed the push laps and didn't make mistakes: I'm happy about this, although we obviously still have things we need to work out as a team. I'm confident we can make a step forward for tomorrow's qualifying: the battle in the midfield between P10 and P16 is extremely tight, so if we can find a few tenths we could have a big gain in positions on the grid. There are a lot of factors at play, not least the big difference finding a tow can make to one's lap, but we know we can be in this fight. We’ll be giving everything we can to make it happen."
