Rio Haryanto felt his debut Grand Prix in Australia two weeks ago was an ‘incredible experience’ despite seeing his race ended early due to a drivetrain issue.
The Manor Racing driver and the first ever Formula 1 racer to represent Indonesia was happy with his first Grand Prix at Albert Park, after out-qualifying team-mate Pascal Wehrlein during qualifying on Saturday and showing a good pace during the race prior to his retirement.
Heading into this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Haryanto is eager to see the chequered flag for the first time in what will be his first F1 night race.
“My debut was an incredible experience and one I’d waited a long time for, so I tried not to dwell too heavily on retiring,” said Haryanto. “There were too many positives to take away from the weekend so that’s what I did.
“On a personal level I was quite happy with my pace and how I translated everything I’d learned at the tests into a race weekend context. I know the team were disappointed with the problem that ended my race but it’s all about looking forward and there’s so much more to come.
“My first night race will be pretty special! Generally though, I think the weekend here will be a lot smoother and I’ve got some really good experience to draw on in every area. Most of all, I can’t wait to see the chequered flag!”
