Lance was the quicker of the two Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team™ drivers in the first Free Practice session at Circuit Paul Ricard, while Sebastian was quicker in Free Practice Two.
In blazing hot conditions, Sebastian and Lance had a productive day of running at the Circuit Paul Ricard. Between them, they posted 96 laps in a pair of sessions that were completed without major interruption.
Sebastian
Sebastian began FP1 with a nine-lap run on the Hard-compound tyre. His best effort was a 1.37.867, before he returned to the garage.
Returning on the Soft tyre, his first flying lap on them was a 1.36.069, and he would improve to a 1.35.851.
After another spell in the garage, he spent the rest of the session on the same tyres and finished with 24 laps on the board, in 14th position.
French GP
France is the birthplace of motor racing, and the race that kicks off the second half of the 2022 Formula One season. Adding to the occasion, it’s where Aston Martin will celebrate the centenary of its first-ever Grand Prix.
At the start of FP2, Sebastian completed an eight-lap stint on the Medium tyre and put in a best time of 1.36.346.
He then switched to the Soft tyre and improved to set his best time of the session – a 1.34.420 set during a six-lap stint, which would leave him 13th overall in the classification.
He then returned to the circuit on his original set of Medium tyres from the start of the session, and ended the day by re-fitting his final set of Softs, completing 27 laps overall.
"I went a little faster than I did yesterday in the 100-year-old car!
"We ran with two different specs on the cars today. It was good to compare but now we have to pick and choose what works best for FP3 and qualifying tomorrow.
"The key for us will be to try and make it into Q2 tomorrow so we have a good starting point for the race. The midfield is really tight so I hope we can be a bit more in the mix.
"Our race pace always seems to be slightly better, so hopefully we can find more of an edge for Sunday. Whatever happens, it is going to be hot."
Lance
Lance started his day with a seven-lap run on Medium-compound tyres. He put in a best time of 1.37.850 in the early stages of the session.
He spent 15 minutes in the pits before returning to the track on the Soft tyre.
His first flying lap on this compound was a 1.35.891, before following that up with a 1.35.810 which proved to be his best lap of the session in that seven-lap run.
The final minutes of the session were spent on the same Medium tyres from the beginning of FP1, posting 19 laps on the board and ending up in 12th position.
The Hard compound was the tyre of choice for the start of FP2, and Lance posted a time of 1.34.595 in the early stages.
He then switched to the Soft tyre for a six-lap stint during which be set his best time of 1.34.595.
Lance would then conclude the session with the Hard tyres from the start of the hour, and then finally on the Soft tyres with which he set his fastest time.
He completed 26 laps in the session and finished in 15th.
"It was a good day today. The car felt okay – particularly on the long runs we did in FP2 – but it was definitely hot out there for everyone this afternoon.
"We will look at the data tonight and what we can work on for tomorrow. It is a tight midfield so it is tough to predict where exactly we will be in qualifying."
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