Brazilian GP: Virgin Friday report

The first two free practice sessions for Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix got underway today at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo where hot and sunny conditions prevailed.

Taking part in his fourth and final free practice session, Jerome D'Ambrosio was at the wheel of car 25 concluding his race weekend evaluation role. Running alongside Timo Glock, he conducted an aero evaluation programme and provided feedback on the track conditions. He completed a total of 28 laps. Timo's first day of running got off to a positive start and he ended the morning session 20th after 20 laps.

This afternoon, Lucas took to his home track for the very first time in a Formula One car, in what he described as a very exciting moment. He began his familiarisation and setup work, completing 38 laps. As usual both he and Timo were able to compare the Prime and the Option and Timo was able to complete a further 35 laps.

Timo Glock, Race Driver #24
"Today was a bit of a strange day. We had a good first session but the second free practice wasn't very helpful. The Prime tyre was working well but we didn't do so well on the Options. After trying the Option tyre we made some setup changes and I'm confident that we have a good direction for tomorrow. After that we will see what the weather brings and what opportunities we can create for ourselves."

Lucas di Grassi, Race Driver #25
"Today was my first time ever driving the Interlagos circuit in a Formula One car. It is just an amazing feeling to be racing in my home town and I'm very excited about the whole weekend. Today was a good start; although I missed the first session I was still able to get up to speed quite quickly. I think we made all the right setup changes, so I'm feeling competitive this weekend and of course I have that little extra motivation that a home race brings."

Jerome D'Ambrosio, Reserve Driver
"Today was my final free practice session with the team before I take part in the young driver test in Abu Dhabi in two weeks' time. It was good to finish my fourth session on a positive note and generally I am very happy with my performance. I have learned a great deal and I look forward to bringing all of that experience together in the test. Today was a constructive day for me; we did a lot of laps and some good setup work to make sure we have a good basis for the weekend. I think we can make good progress so I wish the team some good luck for the race."

John Booth, Team Principal
"A good day for the number 25 car with Jerome putting in another polished performance and then Lucas quickly getting up to speed in the second free practice on a circuit that surprisingly he is not that familiar with. Both drivers worked well with their engineers to tune the setup and the car ran perfectly all day. Timo's day was less smooth; he experienced a few electrical gremlins in the morning and struggled to get the best out of the Option tyres in the afternoon. However, by the end of the day he had found a better direction on a dry setup while keeping one eye on the wet weather forecast for tomorrow."

-source: virgin