Friday: Räikkönen and Alonso battling for Ferrari behind Mercedes
The Scuderia is fighting for honors behind the Mercedes. Räikkönen and Alonso are struggling in 6th and 7th positions at the end of FP2 on the first day of the Grand Prix in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Fernando Alonso (No. 14) – 3rd and 7th
The Asturian is happy to return to Suzuka where the enthusiasm of the fans is truly fantastic.
He completed the necessary work: « Despite the numerous interruptions in the second session, today we managed to complete almost all of the planned program without any issues, working on race settings for both dry and wet conditions. For now, the uncertain weather forecasts make it impossible to make any decisions, even regarding tire choice. Here, compared to other tracks, the difference between the two types of tires is minimal and their performance level is very similar. »
Kimi Räikkönen (No. 7) – 5th and 6th
According to the Finn, Suzuka is a demanding track for both drivers and cars, which doesn’t make things easy: « In the first session, on hard tires, we focused on different settings for qualifying and the race. Then in the afternoon, we made some changes that partially improved the car’s handling. But due to yellow flags and a technical issue, I only managed to have a good stint on medium tires. »
*Iceman* plans to take advantage of the night to find a setup for all weather conditions.
