- German GP - FP2
Tyre behaviour hard to understand - Massa
Felipe Massa believes understanding the behaviour of the tyres will be the biggest challenge for all the teams at Hockenheim, especially if it stays dry on Sunday.
The sweltering temperatures during Friday practice had a visible impact on the tyres, especially Pirelli's super-soft compound which could be seen shredding rubber through some corners due to blistering on the outer edges. Though Massa actually found the soft compound more troublesome than super-soft he says Williams still has a lot to learn about either tyre.
"It's pretty hot but honestly, I was more happy with the super-soft compared to the soft," Massa said. "Sometimes things happen that you don't understand but it's not just me, I saw other cars going longer on the super-soft and being bad on the super-soft compared to the soft, so we need to be ready for everything and try to use in the best way these tyres for the race - if it's dry anyway."
After finishing sixth in FP2 Massa is taking a lot of optimism into Saturday's final practice session and qualifying.
"It was better in the afternoon compared to the morning. Working a lot on the set-up of the car to improve the balance of the car and I think we improved from the morning to the afternoon. Definitely there is still a lot to work to do for tomorrow, but it was a good Friday.
"It was a Friday when we showed a good performance compared to other teams and I hope really we can show it tomorrow and I hope we can have a competitive car here on this track. Maybe Sunday will be wet, we need to be ready for everything."
Massa thinks the temperature favours Red Bull, though he saw nothing on Friday to suggest anything has changed out in front.
"I think the temperature maybe helps [Red Bull]. They have a lot of downforce in that car so for sure they lose a bit of speed but maybe they use the tyres a bit better. Even on the super-soft at the end many teams were losing grip on the super-soft, so maybe they were losing there. Anyway, Red Bull is a good car and depending on the track they will be competitive or not. I still believe Mercedes is the best car in the field but let's wait and see tomorrow after qualifying."
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