Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari was one of three Spaniards to take to the track as the final day of testing at Valencia drew in nearly 60,000 spectators.
It was the first time the driver had ever tested an F1 car on a circuit, having been drafted in mid-season last year in the midst of the testing ban.
“It felt good to complete my first ever Formula 1 test session, as last season I was never able to do any testing,” he said. “I was able to concentrate on understanding the car, without having to think about it in terms of a race weekend,”
His full day in the car saw a varied program including the long runs that seem to have the focus of many of the teams' plans whilst also continuing basic systems checks and assessing the soft and super-soft compounds on Bridgestone tyre.
“Personally, I felt much stronger in the car, as I have been training hard in the three months since I last drove in Abu Dhabi. Today was a positive experience and I'm looking forward now to next week in Jerez. It's too early to say much about the car's performance, but it felt competitive.”
