Isack Hadjar hit the ground running Wednesday as one of the fresh faces on the Formula 1 grid this year, taking the wheel for Racing Bulls during the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain.
The rookie driver shared testing duties with teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who took over in the afternoon session at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Both drivers put in solid performances for Red Bull Racing’s sister team.
“It was fun!” Hadjar said after completing his runs. “We got through our programme, and I felt comfortable in the car. Of course, this is just the start so there is plenty to do, I would say particularly on the short runs.”
For someone making his official F1 test debut, Hadjar seemed to take it all in stride.
“For a first official test day for me, I think it went fine and I adapted quickly, so I’d say it was a good first day.”
Tsunoda echoed the positive sentiment after wrapping up his session.
“A good day during which we gathered lots of data,” said the Japanese driver. “The main focus on the first day was to understand the car’s characteristics and its behaviour.”
He noted that the car performed largely as expected, which is exactly what the team wanted to see at this early stage.
“There were a few bits and bobs we need to look at, but that’s what pre-season testing is all about. There were no major issues, so well done to the team for what was clearly a good job during the off season.”
The team’s sporting director, Alan Permane, seemed pleased with how the day unfolded for their new VCARB 02 car.
“A solid start,” Permane said. “Our day ran pretty much to plan, with both drivers completing over 400 kilometres.”
He acknowledged the challenging conditions the drivers faced, including a cold track and windy weather.
“There were no dramas, and we completed our planned programme, so we are all set to tackle the remaining two days.”
With two more days of testing ahead, Tsunoda is already looking forward to gathering more data and fine-tuning the car before the season opener.
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