Formula 1
ABU DHABI YOUNG DRIVER TEST – DAY TWO-
Driver: António Félix da Costa-
Car: RB8-
Laps: 61 laps-
Best time: 1:42.679-
Circuit length: 5.554km-
Fastest lap: A. Felix da Costa (1:42.679)-
For the second day of Formula One’s Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi, Red Bull Junior driver António Félix da Costa returned to the cockpit of the RB8 for his final outing at the Yas Marina Circuit. And with a point to prove, the young Portuguese driver set the day’s fastest lap, clocking a time of 1:42.679.
António’s day was again split into sessions of aero and mechanical work, with the morning given over to aero mapping and the afternoon to tyre work as well the testing of some car components.
Of his final day at this test António said: “It’s been another good day. Again, we did a lot of mileage, which is good for me and for the team. On a day like this, when the conditions are perfect for testing, and with two grands prix to go, I think the team needs to make the most of it and today I think we did that.
“It’s been a great experience and I’d like to thank the whole team for their help and I hope I have been able to help them as well,” he added. “I’ll focus now on the future and I think most sensibly that probably means a full season in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series next year.”
With António’s work done, the final day of the Young Drivers’ Test will see Formula Renault 3.5 Series winner Robin Frijns take over at the wheel of the RB8.
CATERHAM F1 TEAM
Giedo van der Garde: “It’s been a great couple of days here in Abu Dhabi and I want to thank the team for giving me the chance to drive in the rookie test yesterday and today. “Today we ran considerably more laps than on day one. We spent the morning running through more aero work and ran with a number of different setups that give the team a huge amount of data to work through that will be really useful for the last two races of the season. In the afternoon we switched to longer runs, looking at tyre management and how the car behaves on different fuel loads and I’m pleased with the progress we made. Towards the end of the session we put soft tyres on and I had a couple of runs that were closer to the performance runs we do in FP3 – the car had more fuel than in quali but I’m pretty happy with where I ended up.
“Next up for me is FP1 in Brazil, another track that’ll be new for me but with the time I’ve had on track here, and in the other FP1s I’ve done this year, I think that’ll be a good session for me. I’m not doing FP1 in Austin as the team needs maximum time on track for the race drivers, but I’ll be going to the race as Reserve Driver and I’m really looking forward to getting out there – it’s going to be a great week for sure.”
LOTUS F1 TEAM
Edoardo Mortara, E20-01 “I had a wonderful time and I’m so grateful to everyone at Lotus F1 Team for giving me this opportunity; I enjoyed every lap. At the same time, it was pretty tough; I’ve come from a car which is a lot slower and the first laps were certainly an eye opener. I improved gradually over the day and I think my progression was pretty good. Every time I was on track I got a little bit better. I completed the test programme scheduled by the team so it’s satisfying to be able to contribute to their season. It’s been one of the best days of my life.”