Friday: Alonso performs well for Ferrari, Räikkönen more behind

Fernando Alonso (#14) – 4th and 3rd

In more ways than one, the Spaniard was surprised upon arriving at the Sochi circuit: « The track is very unusual and I didn’t think Formula 1 already had such an audience here. What was also very surprising today was the level of grip on the circuit’s surface, which is unusual for a brand new track. From this perspective, I felt comfortable from the first lap and this was very helpful when it came to doing the day’s most important task, which was learning the layout. »

He mainly focused on adjusting his single-seater: « We worked a lot on the setup and found that both compounds behaved in the same way and that tire performance improved over the laps. The track is very hard on the brakes, but it’s a particular element we’re working on tonight to be well prepared for qualifying. »

Kimi Räikkönen (No. 7) – 8th and 11th

On this first day on the new Russian circuit, the Finn initially dedicated himself to learning the track, which he finds has good grip. In the morning, he completed his program step by step, even though he could not finish his last stint.

He recounts the rest of his day: In the afternoon, we focused on the tire behavior with both compounds taking a long time to reach peak performance, which is unusual especially for the soft tires. To get a better idea about this, we will have to wait for the track to evolve. Unfortunately, here too, I don’t feel comfortable with the front end and this prevented me from completing a good lap.