Alonso: “A lot of work to do but we are on the right path”

Fourth time in both free practice sessions. This is Fernando Alonso's assessment on Friday at the Hungarian F1 GP.

“The transition from one race to another does not usually require major changes, but here – unlike what usually happens on Fridays – we had to work a lot on the set-up, to try to adapt the car to the circuit, the tires and the temperatures . The work - even if more intense than expected - bore fruit, and we improved run after run. There is certainly still a lot to do to be as competitive as we would like, but I believe that the path is the right one. There is less grip here than in previous years, so it is for everyone, and now we have to try to prepare the car as best as possible for qualifying and the race. High temperatures like those recorded today always represent a great challenge for the tyres, but the forecast announces a drop in values ​​starting tomorrow and perhaps rain on Sunday, so we will need to be ready for any eventuality."

“The Hungaroring circuit always represents a great challenge for both drivers and technicians, especially during free practice” added Pat Fry. “The poor grip of the Hungarian track is well known to all the teams who, especially on Friday, have to adapt to a gradual improvement, determined by the progressive deposit of the rubber on the asphalt. Today, due to an instability that affected several cars on the grid, we had to pay particular attention to the set-up, trying to improve the balance when entering and exiting corners. This track is very demanding from an aerodynamic point of view, and the temperatures - high today but dropping over the weekend - significantly affect the performance of the tyres. The lap distance – particularly short here – will make managing the ERS system during the race extremely interesting, an area in which we are learning a lot race after race. The performances over the short and long distances are similar to past races and the weekend promises to be very demanding: on this track the possibility of overtaking is particularly limited and for this reason, more than anywhere else, you need to get your best in qualifying."