The first two hours of practice of the Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna were full of incidents where both training sessions were interrupted with red flags. The shorter, hour-long training sessions meant that it was difficult for all drivers to get into a rhythm.
Andrea Stella, the Executive Director of Racing at the McLaren F1 Team, pointed out that the shorter hours of practice mean running programs must be compressed and all teams must be efficient to complete all of their programs. It was a busy day with all the problems with the radio and the red and yellow flags that plagued the meeting suffered in the paddock.
“The new format of shorter sessions on Friday means that we have to be very efficient to go through the program and complete all laps on schedule. Today we almost got there but missed it because of red flags, yellow flags and so on VSC Interruptions. There were also radio and video communications issues affecting the entire paddock. “
Despite that calamity, it was still a relatively productive day for McLaren, but improvements still need to be made before qualifying begins on Saturday afternoon. As always, the midfield is very competitive and Stella wants to see how the order develops over the course of the season. Qualifying is vital on a track where overtaking is difficult. Therefore, a good Saturday is essential.
“Despite these problems, it was a productive day. It’s pretty clear that there are a few areas where we need to improve before qualifying. The midfield seems very tight and it will be interesting to see how the competitive position develops. As always, we have to do our best to do well in qualifying and to put ourselves in a good position to score good points on Sunday. “
Credit: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images / McLaren F1 Team
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