2024 Australian Grand Prix – Friday report
KICK Sauber F1 Team completed two busy practice sessions at Albert Park, as proceedings for the Australian Grand Prix began Down Under. With a new front wing available for both drivers, most of the day was devoted to analysing the upgrades and gathering data; the focus for the engineers will now shift to optimising the set-up and extracting performance out of the C44 ahead of what promises to be another close and exciting qualifying session tomorrow.
Valtteri Bottas (car number 77):
KICK Sauber F1 Team C44 (Chassis 02/Ferrari)
FP1: 20th / 1:20.014 (21 laps)
FP2: 14th / 1:18.585 (32 laps)
“Today was really productive for understanding the car, especially in light of the new upgrades we brought to Australia. We focused on fulfilling our program and on set-up work where we have taken a small step forward: but there is definitely more to unlock tonight. We are aiming for a minimum of Q2, but if we get everything right on Saturday, Q3 could be possible for us. Outside of the track, it’s been absolutely brilliant to be in Melbourne and witness all the passion from the fans. The energy is always great, and I hope we can give the crowd some excitement this weekend: I’m looking forward to it.”
Zhou Guanyu (car number 24):
KICK Sauber F1 Team C44 (Chassis 03/Ferrari)
FP1: 19th / 1:19.989 (23 laps)
FP2: 11th / 1:18.421 (32 laps)
“It is always great to be back in Melbourne. The fans bring an incredible sense of passion which makes coming back to the track exciting. Today was about understanding our upgrades and the track evolution, and I found a good rhythm with the car. After both sessions, this feels like a car I could push with, and shows the efforts the team, both here and back in Hinwil, has been making. We had a few setting changes between FP1 and FP2, and each time we develop the car, it seems to be going in the right direction. Our front wing upgrade is designed to help with the overall car balance – and there is still more to extract and learn about the car over the weekend. As we continue to finetune our package, I am looking forward to the rest of the weekend and believe we might be fighting closer to the points.”
