The goal was certainly more ambitious and in line with the team’s standards, but for various reasons, neither of the two VR46 bikes managed to secure direct entry into Q2 at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Not even home-track rider Franco Morbidelli was able to perform well. Fifth in the morning, the Italian-Brazilian finished pre-qualifying in 18th place, apparently due to a miscalculation.
“Since I was outside the top 10, I wanted to improve, hoping the track would dry out a bit, but in the end I did too many laps and ran out of fuel,” he admitted, though he praised the feeling he had on the bike. “I was fast, I was able to push, and I rode the way I wanted to,” was his laconic comment.
Only 12th in Free Practice 1, his teammate Fabio di Giannantonio likewise had to settle for a meager 19th position in the decisive afternoon session due to a pace he never found.
“It was a bit of a shame because the things we tried to test in the early morning didn’t work very well, and that caused us to lose half the session. In the afternoon, it was just a matter of managing the timing with the rain. In a couple of corners where there was more water, I lost a lot of time and never managed to find the rhythm to be fast. Now we’ll try to figure out why. The track is new and we need to adapt to its characteristics; that said, it became clear that even when it stops raining, there are still patches of water, so it will be important to find a way to be competitive even in those conditions,” he reflected.
Returning to what slowed the Roman rider down, he explained:“It was more a matter of figuring out how to handle the wet sections on slicks. The track itself is fantastic, but given its characteristics, I had a hard time finding my rhythm. I discussed this with my teammate, and he experienced the same issue—specifically, the rear tyre felt cold, so we’ll need to improve."
While some concerns did emerge, the wet tyres passed the test. “They performed well even though conditions were mixed in the morning, so after a fast lap I had to do two more to cool the tyres, especially the front one. In any case, the feel in the wet was positive, just like in the dry. I just need to find the rhythm on the wet sections. Competing in Q1 could help me, especially if it rains and if conditions are the same as in qualifying, since I’ll have more laps at my disposal,” he added.