HONDA YOUNG DRIVER PROGRAMME
The Honda Young Driver Programme continued in Jerez this
week as GP2 drivers Mike Conway, Andi Zuber and Luca Filippi
had a further opportunity to work with Honda for their second
day in a Formula One car.
The test in Jerez was designed to build on the experience
that the three drivers gained at the Barcelona test last month
and enable the team to evaluate their development, consistency
and speed over a further day of running. The programme focused
on longer runs working through various set-up changes on the
car and shorter new tyre qualifying simulations.
Mike began the running on Tuesday completing 88 laps over
the day, with Andi taking over the car on Wednesday for 109
laps. Luca rounded off the programme on Thursday completing
83 laps.
Mike Conway
"It was great to get back in the car again after a couple
of weeks' break from the Barcelona test. I felt that I was
able to get back into the swing of things pretty quickly and
learn more about the car and set-up. It was great to work
with the Honda engineers and benefit from the experience they
have of working with so many drivers. The feedback really
helps you to learn and improve. A big thank you to Honda once
again for the opportunity and I am pleased with how the test
went."
Andi Zuber
"It was nice to be driving a Formula One car again this
week and to use the experience from Barcelona to start quickly
and become familiar with the car quite early on. We started
a little late because of the cool conditions and the number
of red flags but once the test was underway, the work continued
from Barcelona, especially concentrating on long runs and
learning how to adjust the set-up of the car and work with
the tyres. I completed a lot of laps which was good experience
and overall it was a lot of fun. Thank you to the team for
all their support and professionalism, I was able to learn
a great deal from working with Honda over the two tests."
Luca Filippi
"I had a very good day in the car and was pleased with
what I was able to achieve. Generally I felt a lot more comfortable
in the car compared to the Barcelona test. I felt that I was
able to find a good pace straightaway and continue to improve
throughout the day. It was only a shame that we were not able
to take full advantage of the new tyre run at the end of the
day due to the number of circuit red flags. I would like to
thank Honda for this opportunity, as having two days in an
F1 car at the end of my GP2 season is just the best you can
get."
Ron Meadows - Sporting Director
"It was a very productive test in Jerez and we were pleased
to see Mike, Andi and Luca once again put in impressive performances.
There was an obvious improvement in all three drivers, both
on the track and in their physical fitness, since their first
test at Barcelona in November. All three demonstrated good
pace, provided strong feedback to our engineers and generally
impressed with their attitude and application. They all have
a promising future ahead of them and the next stage for Honda
is to evaluate the information we have gathered and gauge
where we go from here."
TEST STATS (All timings are unofficial)
Drivers Tuesday 04 December Wednesday 05 December
Thursday 06 December
Mike Conway 88 laps 01:20.927 -
-
Andi Zuber - 109 laps 01:20.897
-
Luca Filippi - -
83 laps 01:20.915
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