Rain a problem for De Vries? 'Grip was already low on dry track'

"It was a challenging day for everyone," De Vries told a press release afterwards. As the AlphaTauri driver is not yet familiar with the circuit, it would have been nice for him to dedicate a full day to finding speed on the semi-street circuit. But technical mishaps changed that, the man from Sneek also saw:"[Due to the cancellation of the first free practice], we had to change our run plan for the afternoon but nonetheless, I think we completed enough laps to be able to get up to speed with the track."

Rain on the way

At the end of the (extended) second free practice, there was quite a bit of rain. It seems to be a harbinger for the rest of the weekend. "Tomorrow will see different conditions again with rain forecasted, so there is lots of work ahead of us," he said. But the track is also still getting used to for the Dutchman. "The track is quite different compared to Barcelona, more bumpy, narrow, and with less grip, I will have to get used to it and make the necessary changes."

In Monaco, De Vries showed he could handle his AT04 well in wet conditions, although things might be different in North America. "We didn’t do any laps in the rain today, but the grip seems low in dry conditions already, so we will have to see how it goes in the wet."