Johhny Cecotto Jr drives 84 laps in VJM04
Sahara Force India continued testing in Abu Dhabi today as Johnny Cecotto Jr got behind the wheel of the VJM04 for his first experience of a Formula One car. The 22-year-old Venezuelan acquitted himself well as he familiarised himself with the car before carrying out a tyre programme in the afternoon.
Johnny covered a total of 84 laps, setting a best time of 1:42.873, the fifth fastest of the day.
Max Chilton is back in the car for the final day of testing tomorrow.
Johnny Cecotto Jr: “Amazing is the only word to describe today. Everything was just incredible from the moment I left the pits to begin my first lap. These cars are so impressive: the power, the braking performance and the aerodynamic grip you get through the corners – it makes you say ‘wow’. And there are so many systems on the car, too, such as the KERS, which really impressed me. It was good to try out some of the 2012 tyres in the afternoon and the team seemed happy with the data and my feedback. Overall it was just an unbelievable experience to work at such a professional level, with a great crew, and I want to thank Sahara Force India for giving me such a wonderful opportunity.”
Oliver Knighton, Race Support and Strategy Engineer:
“Today saw a continuation of the programme that we started yesterday with Max. We began with some familiarisation runs for Johnny to get him comfortable in the car and he quickly got a good grasp of the control systems on the car, and was switching modes without being prompted. The technical programme focussed on more data collection for the 2012 Pirelli tyres and we also did some aero sweeps in the afternoon. Overall it was a good day’s work: Johnny has settled in well with the team and gave excellent feedback.”
