2024 Singapore Grand Prix – Friday report

Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber took to the streets of Singapore for the first two practice sessions in Marina Bay. FP1 saw Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu contend with a very dusty track, but the real test came in FP2, under the night-time floodlights, in conditions that resemble what awaits the team in tomorrow’s qualifying.

Valtteri Bottas (car number 77):

Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44 (Chassis 02/Ferrari)

FP1: 18th / 1:33.485 (25 laps)

FP2: 20th / 1:32.786 (26 laps)

“It was a challenging day on track today with a lack of overall car performance. We struggled to find the right balance, as we lacked the consistency we were looking for. We made some changes between the two sessions, but I feel we made a step backwards: we’ll work hard overnight get back on track, improve and make the car more stable and drivable, so we can find that extra performance for FP3 and take a step forward for qualifying.”

Zhou Guanyu (car number 24):

Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44 (Chassis 04/Ferrari)

FP1: 19th / 1:33.585 (24 laps)

FP2: 19th / 1:32.359 (26 laps)

“It’s good to be back racing in Singapore, a place with such great energy. I think we had two solid and relatively smooth sessions in the car today. On paper, we were not expecting a significant improvement over Baku, but I felt I was in a better window when it came to car balance compared to the last few events. The times are really close, and if we can continue to improve tomorrow and find a little more laptime, especially on our first lap on new tyres, we can push for the edge of Q2. It’s tricky out there, though – every session in Singapore brings different track conditions and you constantly need to adapt. Getting the car dialled in here is crucial, because once you’re confident and get into the rhythm, it really makes a difference to the lap times.”