“Generally an interesting day for us, as it is always challenging to run at a new circuit, and particularly one that stretches the drivers. We had no real mechanical problems today – only a small brake issue with Giancarlo, which was very quickly solved.

“All-in-all we ran through our normal programme and tyre evaluation and, although it's hard to tell from Friday form, I think we look more competitive and have made a slight step forward that we'll look to carry over to the rest of the weekend.”

Patrick Head [Williams – director of engineering]:

“We lost a set of tyres with Nico following his spin, and we're obviously lucky to get away without any car damage. Otherwise, we've run through our programme and have collected good information on tyres while doing long runs, so we're happy with the work we've done today.”

Hirohide Hamashima [Bridgestone – director of motorsport tyre development]:

“This is a very nice street course which is, in many ways, similar to a permanent facility. There are long straights, meaning a good high-speed battle with speeds over 300km/h, and slower corners, meaning good braking technique is required. It is a very technical circuit; for example there is an adverse camber section before the bridge, which makes matters very interesting for the drivers.

“Both compounds performed well on this first day, and the track grip levels improved dramatically during both sessions. At this stage it is very difficult to say which will be the preferred tyre for qualifying or the race as we have a lot of data to digest, and drivers and teams are still learning how best to tackle this exciting new venue.”