Toro Rosso, Force India, Haas and Sauber’s reaction to the first day of F1 pre-season testing.
Toro Rosso
Carlos Sainz (8th time, +2.729sec to 1st, 51 laps):
“I end the day with a positive feeling after my first outing at the wheel of the STR12. Everything felt good and I’d say we’ve made a big step forward compared to last year in terms of downforce and grip – I felt it straight away during the first laps of the morning and it put a smile on my face. Of course it wasn’t the smoothest of days and we would’ve liked to complete more laps, but you know that this is always going to happen on the first day testing a brand new car. All in all, a decent first day and it’s great that the season has finally kicked-off!”
James Key (Toro Rosso Technical Director):
“It’s good to finally get started after such a long winter, completing 51 laps. Although we had to stop a little bit earlier with a bit of a niggle on the front of the car, we will get this sorted for tomorrow. The main priorities today were to get miles on the car and to do the basics right, so we did some aero work in the morning and after that we went through a long list of basic checks on our new car, considering there are so many things to learn. It was really all about laps and fundamentals today, and it will be the same tomorrow with Daniil. The good news is that, a part from the usual first-day glitches, nothing has caught us out and everything behaves in the way we think it should. The driver feedback has been close to expectation and generally quite positive so I think that, for a first day of testing and although we would’ve liked to do more laps, we can’t complain at all. We didn’t do any performance running – that will come later on.”
What a beauty… We could watch the #STR12 drive past all day! It’s been 51 laps for now, as @carlosainz comes back to the garage #F1 pic.twitter.com/zpMcN0WOYk
— Toro Rosso (@ToroRossoSpy) 27 February 2017
Force India
Sergio Perez (7th time, +1.944sec to 1st, 39 laps):
“It was a day of two halves. The morning was very productive: we managed to do a lot of what we had planned and we tried some different set-up options and tyre compounds. Things were looking quite positive throughout the morning and we had the chance to learn a lot from our new car. Unfortunately we didn’t run in the afternoon as a precaution and that cost us some track time. Hopefully tomorrow we can make up the lost ground with Esteban in the car: with a solid day, we can complete the rest of our programme and move forward with the plan.”
Tom McCullough, Force India Chief Race Engineer:
“The morning went largely to plan as the VJM10 completed its first few laps. We built up the mileage on the car, doing short runs at first and then increasing the lap count. This allowed us to complete the basic systems checks on the car. We also started some aero mapping and got a useful first understanding of the 2017 tyres. Our work was cut short with an exhaust issue and we ended the day early as a precautionary measure. We are looking forward to tomorrow, when Esteban is in the car for his first experience of the VJM10.”
Let’s hear from the man behind the wheel himself, @SChecoPerez: #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/ik6fLtOIKt
— Sahara Force India (@ForceIndiaF1) 27 February 2017
Haas
Kevin Magnussen (4th time, +1.129sec to 1st, 51 laps):
“We had a few issues, but the good thing is that they were small issues. Even though they stopped us from some running, it wasn’t something that is at all worrying for the coming days. It’s kind of the typical baby problems you have with the cars when they’re completely new. Except for that, the first feeling of the car is nice. It’s good to finally get that feeling of the car after looking at it, and all the anticipation for the faster cars. It’s a good feeling. Today’s been a day I’ve enjoyed a lot.”
Guenther Steiner, Haas team principal:
“The plan was to do more, but that’s how the first day goes sometimes. We had a few issues, but that’s normal. They are to be expected when you have a new car and we sorted them out. We are here to learn and that is what we did. Our learning process is a lot better than last year because our people have worked together for a year now and we know more about the car. We are a lot better prepared.”
The Haas #VF17 comes home from work. pic.twitter.com/8GxRSYeuPK
— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) 27 February 2017
Sauber
Marcus Ericsson (11th time, +5.076sec to 1st, 72 laps):
“It is great to finally be back in the car again after a long winter. The new car was fun to drive, and it is nice to feel that there is more potential. We had some minor issues, but on the other hand it was the first time we were running the car properly. Overall, it has been a productive day. I completed 70 laps overall, which is a good effort for test day one. Now we need to go from here to have a successful first week of testing. The two main areas, which I feel are the biggest differences compared to last year are that the car is faster in high-speed corners and the braking performance is better.”
The first testing day is coming to an end with a pit stop practice for our crew! #F1Testing #F1 pic.twitter.com/VLzhFATOac
— Sauber F1 Team (@SauberF1Team) 27 February 2017
