Xevi Pujolar, Chief Race Engineer: We ran intermediate tyres throughout FP1 this morning, changing the rear wing level to suit the conditions but remaining on a dry mechanical set-up. We tested different tyre pressure levels in the wet to try and get more grip as overall we were struggling in the tricky conditions. As the rain continued to fall harder, full wet tyres were required for FP2 but we limited running in order to save tyres for the rest of the weekend. We did a run on intermediates right at the end and found some improvements but in the slippery conditions it was difficult today. Despite the limited running it was useful to get some track time in these conditions though as qualifying is expected to be similar, with a chance of rain also forecast during the race on Sunday.
Valtteri Bottas: Wet conditions throughout both practice sessions disrupted our running today but we still managed to try different tyre pressures and temperatures to gain some more information. We have a lot of work to do get the tyres in the optimum window, especially if it’s going to be wet this weekend. We will sit down and analyse the data to work out the best set-up for tomorrow.
Pastor Maldonado: It was a limited day today because of the weather and the tyre restrictions. The driving conditions were difficult with a lot of aquaplaning on a track that is normally fast. I think we understand the tyres more so that is a positive and hopefully we can capitalise on that for tomorrow.
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