Daniel Ricciardo got his first taste of a Toro Rosso as he completed 31 laps of the Circuito de Jerez this morning on the first day of the second pre-season test.
Ricciardo, who is a product of the Red Bull Young Driver Programme, will drive for the team in Free Practice 1 at most races this season.
“Jerez is where I first drove a Formula 1 car, when I tested for Red Bull Racing at the end of '09,” noted the young Australian driver, who finished the day fourth fastest. “The last time I drove an F1 car was last November, again with Red Bull in Abu Dhabi. It doesn't sound like a long time, but three months out of a race car is long enough. It was good to be back in the cockpit. Fortunately, I seem to have remembered how to drive!”
“Driving the Toro Rosso for the first time was another exciting experience for me. It went well and I did enough laps this morning to get settled in the cockpit, which is important, as I hope to get a bit more track time in testing, so that I can feel confident when I get to Bahrain and run in free practice on Friday morning at my first Grand Prix weekend.”
“I also managed to use both of the important new elements, the KERS and the DRS (drag reduction system) which seemed to function as planned and I felt quite comfortable by the end of the morning.”
Jaime Alguersuari was in car this afternoon, completing 42 laps. The Spaniard will be in the car for the entire day tomorrow.
