Friday brought a mix of highs and lows for Sauber during the first two practice sessions at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, with mostly challenging results for both drivers. Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg both found themselves near the back of the field in FP1, with the Brazilian driver unable to improve significantly in the following session.
The story was different for the German driver, who posted a time of 1:33.879 in the final session, securing fourth place. Nico Hülkenberg commented: “It was a fairly normal Friday for us. We followed our usual test program, and FP1 was generally positive, while FP2 was a bit more challenging. I think many drivers didn’t manage a clean lap on the soft tires, so the picture is still somewhat uncertain in terms of pace. There is the usual work to do overnight: improving the car’s balance and refining the setup. It will be interesting to see how things develop tomorrow, once everything stabilizes and we have a clearer view of the field.”
Gabriel Bortoleto, on the other hand, faced a steeper learning curve, making his debut on this street circuit. He was 19th in FP1 and finished last in FP2, which also saw two red flags. “Overall, it was a positive and productive day. It’s a bit difficult to interpret the times since some drivers completed laps on the soft tires while others didn’t, and my lap on the softer compound was interrupted by a red flag. However, running mainly on the hard tires helped me understand how the tires behave, and even the softs felt decent by the end of the session. It’s a new track and everything is still unexplored for me, but today we managed to find good speed. There is still room for improvement, but I think we’re in a solid place heading into qualifying tomorrow after a productive free practice session.” – the Brazilian driver concluded at the end of Friday practice.
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