Alonso: “Today it was important to know the track”

A good Friday for Fernando Alonso at the Russian GP. The Ferrari Spaniard achieved the fourth and third fastest times in the two free practice sessions.

“The track is very particular and I didn't imagine that Formula 1 already had so much following here. What also surprised me today was the good grip of the asphalt, which is quite unusual on a new circuit like this" commented Alonso.

“From that point of view we got on well from the first lap and this helped a lot in what was the most important task today, namely getting to know the track. We worked a lot on the set-up and recorded very similar behavior between the two compounds, whose performance improves as the laps accumulate. The track is very harsh with the brakes, but this is one of the specifications we will work on this evening to best prepare for qualifying" concluded the Ferrari driver.