Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso downplayed his Friday practice crash at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, but admitted that he was "annoyed" to have lost so much crucial track time following the incident at the first corner.
Alonso crashed at the first corner of the Yas Marina circuit during the evening practice session in Abu Dhabi, spinning his car on the exit of the corner and hitting the barriers.The contact was enough to damage his right rear suspension, and meant that the Spanish driver was forced to miss the rest of the session.
And after the session, Alonso admitted that the crash had been frustrating given the loss of track time he suffered as a result.
"Just as was the case in India a fortnight ago, again here in Abu Dhabi, I lost a bit of time: there it was the engine that left me standing at the side of the track and here it was an off-track excursion," he rambled after the session.
He added: "It's not that there's a particular problem with grip at Turn 1, but if you touch the kerb when braking then you do lose some grip.
"I am annoyed about losing some time, but above all, I am sorry for the mechanics who now have extra work to do to put the car together again. I will try and repay them with a nice lap tomorrow evening in qualifying."
Aside from his crash though, Alonso said that he and Ferrari were in "slightly better shape" at the Yas Marina track than he had expected, after finishing third in the second session despite the crash.
"As usual, it's difficult to say where we are compared to everyone else, because there are always plenty of unknowns on Friday," he mused.
"I don't think I'll be fighting for pole or the win, but the first impressions are that we are in ever so slightly better shape than we had expected to be going into this weekend."
His team mate Felipe Massa, who also suffered a spin in FP1 but ended fourth overall in FP2, said that he was "reasonably happy" with his performance.
"They were two good sessions for me, but that does not mean much in terms of qualifying," he muttered, "Two weeks ago in India, I was fastest on Friday afternoon and then things went the way they did.
"Having said that, I am reasonably happy with how the last two races panned out in terms of speed and pace."
He also downplayed the continuing oddity of Ferrari's new front wing, which was again seen to flap through certain corners, hitting the track as it did so.
"Honestly, while I'm driving I am not aware of anything," he said regarding the wing, "The car always behaves the same way without any problems."
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