Yas Marina - 25 Nov 2016 17:42 UTC

2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Practice Sessions

HIGH TRACK EVOLUTION AS USUAL DURING FREE PRACTICE AT YAS MARINA

LEWIS HAMILTON FASTEST IN FP2, RUN IN REPRESENTATIVE CONDITIONS, USING THE ULTRASOFT ON ITS ABU DHABI DEBUT

AROUND 0.8 SECONDS SEPARATE SUPERSOFT FROM ULTRASOFT, 1.4 SECONDS COVERS ENTIRE SELECTION FROM SOFT TO ULTRASOFT

There was a high degree of track evolution on the Yas Marina circuit, especially during the FP1 session. This meant that a number of drivers set faster times on a harder compound compared to the softer ones that they ran previously, as conditions improved. However, by the late afternoon – when FP2 was run, at a similar time to qualifying and the race – track conditions had stabilised, meaning that representative times were set on each compound.

The FP2 session was held from 17:00, with track temperatures falling throughout the session by three degrees, and more than 10 degrees compared to FP1. As expected, the ultrasoft proved to be ultimately quickest, setting the fastest time of the day with Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes: 1m40.861s, more than a second quicker than last year’s FP2 time (set on supersoft).

The smooth nature of the surface and the varying track conditions meant that the speed differentials between the different compounds was reasonably small, compared to other tracks. So far, around 0.8 seconds separate the supersoft from the ultrasoft. Teams completed both race and qualifying simulations, with the top two Mercedes separated by just 0.079s.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director: “As we expected, wear and degradation is reasonably high on the softest compounds, due to the high longitudinal acceleration and braking demands of this track. However, the pattern depends very much on the state of the track, which has been changing all day due to normal evolution and also falling temperatures in FP2. As a result, drivers are chasing a moving target when it comes to defining set-up and strategy, which adds an extra element to the challenge imposed by the championship finale. Already we have seen some of the run plans today influenced by the pre-event tyre choices from each driver, giving an insight into individual strategies.”

FP1 – TIMES			FP2 – TIMES
Hamilton	1m42.869s	Soft New	Hamilton	1m40.861s	Ultrasoft new
Rosberg	1m43.243s	Ultrasoft new	Rosberg	1m40.940s	Ultrasoft new
Verstappen	1m43.297s	Soft new	Vettel	1m41.130s	Ultrasoft new

FP1 – BEST TIME PER COMPOUND

Soft		Hamilton	1m42.869s
Supersoft		Perez	1m44.155s
Ultrasoft		Hamilton	1m43.051s

FP2 – BEST TIME PER COMPOUND

Soft		Rosberg	1m42.294s
Supersoft		Raikkonen	1m42.257s
Ultrasoft		Hamilton	1m40.861s

MOST LAPS BY COMPOUND

Soft		Wehrlein	28 laps
Supersoft		Bottas	22
UItrasoft		Gutierrez	20

Tyre statistics of the day:

	Soft	Supersoft	Ultrasoft
kms driven *	3631	988	1815
sets used overall **	47	14	25
highest number of laps **	28	22	20

* The above number gives the total amount of kilometres driven in FP1 and FP2 today, all drivers combined. ** Per compound, all drivers combined.

Minimum prescribed tyre pressures: 21.5 psi (fronts) 20 psi (rears)

Pirelli fact of the day: Exactly 15 years ago today, Pirelli’s 2001 World Rally Champion clinched the title on Rally Great Britain with Subaru. Four years later, to the day, he lost his battle with a brain tumour. The Richard Burns Foundation, supported by Pirelli, honours his memory and helps people who are affected by brain illness or injury. For more information, visit www.richardburnsfoundation.com

Spotted in the paddock: King Juan Carlos I of Spain. A keen motorsport fan and friend of the Sainz family, Spain’s former monarch has been to a number of grands prix already.

For more information: please visit our website, which is regularly updated with exclusive in-depth features, news and reviews. To find out more, please visit: http://racing.pirelli.com/global/en-ww/abudhabi-2016-practice