2015 Chinese GP - Shanghai - Friday and Saturday Practice Session Thread

[stefa]

+0.7 for SV...
and almost a full one sec for KR...

[SinanOzerS]

Kimi did 1.37:6 on FP2 yesterday.

[stefa]

Kimi did 1.37:6 on FP2 yesterday.

Yesterday is gone....

[Sriharsha]

Remember Yesterday it was lot cooler today its 43 C so times do get slower

[Nero Horse]

We could definitely go much faster than what the times show right now. 1:37.662 for Kimi yesterday...

[stefa]

Good to see both Ferrari drivers with almost same times.

[stefa]

Any way... good morning to all of you in Europe

[stefa]

See you in 2 hours.

[Sriharsha]

Vettel goes third, 0.698s off Hamilton, says he was held up by Maldonado and lost rear tyre grip early

[fronaldo]

S2 really hurting us..

[Nero Horse]

[Sriharsha]

S2 really hurting us..

Yes We dont have the Downforce like Mercedes has. But we are getting covered it bit by bit.

[DelMar]

But it will be good for the race. S2 should be the downforce sector. With tires degrading they will not sustain this pace difference.

I also think Maldonado hampered Vettel's S3. We can win this race as well. We have a shot.

[fronaldo]

Does anyone know S2 time for Kimi in his FL in FP2 yesterday?

[Nero Horse]

Gonna be interesting quali. Hoping we can get at least both cars on 2nd row.

[Black Adder]

1:37.615 for LH and yesterday in FP2 Kimi did 1:37.662 on softs

Kimi did this in P2 where there were warmer conditions.

[DelMar]

Warmer or cooler?

[Kristof_F40]

No point in saying that Kimi managed to do the same time as Lewis in FP2, completely different conditions. Today we were slower than Mercs, as expected. When did we show signs we were as fast as Mercs on 1 lap? Nowhere... We didn't bring major upgrades so.. What is important is that we are clear from behind, so if we don't make mistakes we have second row, and perhaps we can benefit if Mercs make mistakes like in Malaysia. If are race pace is near Mercs, it's fine.. We just need to figure out a very good strategy for both drivers, and make sure they don't loose time with each other compared to Mercs..

[fmatiasii]

I'm not so worried about these lap times, so long as we are in the 2nd row in quali then we stand a good chance of a podium finish for both drivers, who knows? might even be 1st.

[vecchiasignora]

we are 0.5 faster on soft then mercedes on medium :angry:

[WS6TransAm01]

I predict a 2-3 finish tomorrow. The Hamburgler looks too strong but Nico is as fragile as a Fabrige egg. Have Seb and Kimi pressure him in the firsts stint, he will start crying for driver advice which he can't get and will go off at turn 1. Both red cars sweep past.

One can hope.... right?

[Michelc30]

Sebastian Vettel Q&A: Ferrari have Mercedes worried

Mercedes Ferrari Sebastian Vettel China

 11 Apr 2015

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg might have earned Mercedes a front-row lockout in Shanghai, but both men said they had a wary eye on Ferrari - and Sebastian Vettel is only too happy to be considered a threat. After all, he says, it is about time the Silver Arrows came under some serious pressure...


Q: Sebastian, Lewis said that Mercedes have to have a firm eye on Ferrari tomorrow. Is he right?

Sebastian Vettel: I hope so. He must know best what his pace is in the race. And if he fears that then I am sure there is truth in it.

Q: Today showed that Ferrari are working the tyres well even in cooler temperatures. Is there hope that you can outsmart the Mercedes again with good tyre management?

SV: That is difficult to say. One thing is clear: this year the tyres work better for everyone in the paddock. Normally the Shanghai track is a real tyre killer, but this weekend we all seem to have a break from that even if the temperatures are not so toasty. We will probably be a bit closer in the race – let's wait and see. My guess is that Mercedes still can squeeze out performance in qualifying - not only the works team but also Williams and Lotus - so it was important for us today to be as close as possible to the frontrunners and ahead of the others.

"Q: Tyres are one thing, but the start is another. Do you think we will see any surprises?

SV: Normally Ferrari have always made good starts. I probably let them down a bit in the last two races because I still have to get used to certain procedures, but here I think we should do better. It works better for us if there is more grip. I was probably too aggressive at the two previous races.

Q: Can you talk us through your qualifying?

SV: Things worked pretty smooth for us today; we had no issues. The pace was good in Q1 and Q2. In Q3 the last part of the lap didn't feel as good as all the laps before. But I think we can be super happy about our grid position. Hopefully we are a bit closer in the race - and in the fight for a podium finish.

Q: Do you feel you're getting closer to Mercedes?

SV: The ‘silver power' will remain the benchmark for quite some time - but we are trying to jog that supremacy. [We are] closer to their times, but still being one second behind them in qualifying was not the best of news.

Q: How do you explain that one-second deficit?

SV: One explanation is that they were really switched on in Q3 while all the rest had a siesta! Mercedes are still the benchmark as I just said. It is good to know that we are right behind them.

Q: Nico Rosberg said he had issues in qualifying, including traffic on his outlap. Is there an opportunity for you to raise the pressure and force them into mistakes?

SV: I don't think that it would have helped him to come out a bit earlier as there was a train of cars ahead. In the end having a perfect fast lap is illusive. Everybody wants to be on the track when it is at its best condition…

Q: But isn't that your chance to raise the pressure on them?

SV: Of course it is. For quite some time they had no pressure so it's about time. Last race it worked! I don't want to get carried away. If we can come closer tomorrow that could make our day.

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