Frijns takes the wheel of the RB8
The final day of the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi saw Robin Frijns take over from Red Bull Junior driver António Félix da Costa at the wheel of the RB8. Robin earned his place in the cockpit by virtue of winning this year’s Formula Renault 3.5 series and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
The Dutchman’s morning was spent on aero work but in the afternoon, around some mechanical testing, there was time for some performance runs and Robin ended the day with a lap of 1:43,233. That left him fourth on the timesheet, just under six tenths off pacesetting GP2 champion Davide Valsecchi.
Robin Frijns:
“It was a long day and we tested a lot on the car. I think I did a good job for the team and team worked hard with me so I’m pleased with how it all went. In the morning I was driving a little in cruise control as we were doing some aero work and the team needed accurate data with the flow-vis. In the afternoon there was some mechanical work, which was good and I think the team gathered a lot of useful data.
“I’d like to thank Renault for the opportunity to come to Red Bull Racing for this test in the RB8,” he added. “It’s the quickest car at the moment, so it was a real pleasure to drive for them today. Thanks also to Red Bull Racing for giving me this opportunity to drive the car.”
Driver: Robin Frijns
Laps: 53 laps
Best time: 1:43.233
Circuit length: 5.554km
Fastest lap: D. Valsecchi (1:42.677)
