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This was the opening day of testing for the teams further down the grid!

This was the opening day of testing for the teams further down the grid!

23-02-2023 20:48
2

GPblog.com

For most fans, the focus during winter testing is on the top teams Red Bull Racing, Ferrari and Mercedes. Further down the field, the 'smaller' teams are working on their optimal set-up for the new Grand Prix season. Some of their reactions after the opening day of testing in a row.

Williams

Logan Sargeant made his debut as an official Formula One driver: "It was nice to finally get the chance to get comfortable in the car. We got through a really busy run plan between Alex and myself which is great work from the team. I think it was relatively tricky as grip seemed quite low. There a few things to work on going into the next two days but we're moving in the right direction. I'm hoping to make another good step forward tomorrow with a full day of driving."

Team-mate Alex Albon was also upbeat and positive: "We got some good mileage in today which is a positive. So far, the FW45 is going okay and it’s been really useful to get some good laps in. In terms of pace, it’s really hard to say, especially in that mid-field section. We have a lot of work to do but I think these conditions are more representative of what we’re going to experience during the year, with the heat and the wind, compared to our rollout at Silverstone. It’s only day one of testing but it’s already been important for us to compare where we are year on year, seeing if we’ve improved in the right areas, and continuing to fine tune the car further and get into a sweet spot."


Alfa Romeo F1

Zhou Guanyu started his second season in Formula 1 in Bahrain. He told in a press release from his team: "It felt good to be back in the car today. Everything went quite smoothly, and I felt comfortable straight away. Of course, this is only the opening day of testing, and there is plenty of work ahead for everyone, but it’s been a positive start. We have been able to complete all of our schedule, even though there was a pretty long red flag at the very beginning of the day. Overall, I can consider myself quite happy.”

Team-mate Valtteri Bottas was equally satisfied: “Our running has been good today, we got through the whole program, which was our objective for today. Getting
good mileage in on the first day of testing is the most important thing, and we were able to learn more about the car, find out the first indications on which setups work, how the new tyres feel and all of that. Overall, it’s been a good Day One; there is still work to do, of course, but it has been a good start and I can already feel some improvements from last year.”


Haas F1

For Nico Hulkenberg, the first day of testing marked his real return as a Formula 1 driver. “It feels good to be back! It’s been an exciting few days but I’m happy to now put the ‘theory’ aside and start the practical part of the job, get in the car again, and live it. I had good fun, 51 laps was quality work I would say – a bit less than maybe what we wanted to do – but they were quality laps. It’s about starting somewhere and then learn as you go with the car, making changes and see how the car reacts, so in that respect it was a successful morning.”

Finally, Kevin Magnussen. A year ago, he was contracted by Haas just before the test days. Now he could approach the test more calmly: "We had a few little issues but we got through what we planned – maybe two laps were missed! It went smoothly for the first day of testing and we haven’t got anywhere near qualifying simulations yet so we’ll see tomorrow when we get slightly closer to those levels, but I’m pretty happy so far. I think everything indicates that we’re in a good position and right now it’s about working – not competing – just collecting knowledge on the car.”