Three up-and-coming drivers got the chance to experience F1 machinery in a two-day test in Valencia, Spain this week. Adderly Fong and Roy Nissany both sampled a two-year old Sauber, while Esteban Ocon was at the wheel of an identical-vintage Lotus.
Chinese driver Fong, 24, and Israeli Nissany, 19, got one day each in the Ferrari-powered Sauber C31 and both completed 99 laps of the 4.005-kilometre circuit.
“I am very happy that I had the opportunity to test the Sauber,” said Fong, who has competed in several single-seater championships in Asia and Europe, and this year is focusing on the Audi R8 LMS Cup, an Asia-based sprint race series.
“I have achieved my objective to complete 300 km without making any mistakes and at a good speed. The car was fantastic to drive, it is a brilliant piece of machinery. With so much horsepower and high downforce, it is a difficult car to learn, but I was able to improve lap by lap. I really want to thank Sauber and Ferrai for providing me such a good package today. It was great being able to test the car at the track in Valencia, having started Formula Three testing here in 2009.”
Nissany, son of one-time Minardi tester Chanoch Nissany and currently competing in European F3, said of his F1 outing: “It was an amazing day. It was my first time driving a Formula One car, and it felt great. I was quite excited at the beginning, and I think I feel more experienced now.
“Going through the fast corners with this high amount of downforce and adapting my driving style to this car was not easy, but I managed to do everything well. I am very happy with today’s outcome, not just from my side, but also from the team’s side, as everyone works very professionally. I knew the track in Valencia, so I think that was a good advantage.”
Frenchman Ocon, meanwhile, earned his two-day session in Lotus’s E20 as reward for winning the FIA Formula Three Championship in his rookie season this year. The 18-year-old has been part of Lotus’s junior programme since 2010 and the F1 test formed part of his ongoing development with the team.
(source: f1.com)
