First F1 experience for Pérez at Abu Dhabi
Sergio Pérez has his very first day of driving a Formula One car under his belt. The 20-year-old Mexican from Guadalajara completed 91 laps today on the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Already in October Sergio had been appointed by the team as next year’s race driver alongside Kamui Kobayashi. Sergio will be the first Mexican driver in Formula One in three decades.
Sergio Pérez: “I am very happy to have completed my first day of testing with my new team. I think in the course of the day I got closer to the limit. I was very happy with the way we worked. Today I tested different parts of the car and in general I really learned a lot about all the procedures, which are quite different to what I’m used to from GP2. I’m very much looking forward to getting into the car again on Saturday afternoon!”
James Key, Technical Director: “Sergio did a good job today for his first experience in an F1 car. This morning was very much a step-by-step approach as it was Sergio’s very first time in an F1 car, which always means a big step, in particular in terms of all the information and procedures a driver has to deal with. We did several useful tests and practice starts before conducting some aero tests. The first half of the afternoon was for aero tests on used tyres, the second half was spent on set-up with new tyres. Sergio’s runs with new tyres were interrupted several times by red flags. As for Esteban yesterday, we kept the same normal fuel level all day long and refrained from using the F-duct. I want to say farewell to Bridgestone and thanks to them for all their efforts over the years!”
What comes next
For Friday and Saturday, tyre testing is on the agenda. On Friday Kamui will be testing the new Pirelli tyres and will continue to do so until the lunch break on Saturday. For the final half-day of testing in 2010 Sergio will be taking over.
