Charles Leclerc completed his first free practice in Formula 1 with the Haas F1 Team, and admitted it was a struggle in the early laps as he came to terms with 2016 F1 machinery.
The Ferrari Driver Academy star also felt the Silverstone circuit was perhaps one of the harder tracks to have his first run in a 2016 car, but completed twenty-six laps in his VF-16 and finished eighteenth fastest despite an early spin at turn three, a corner many drivers struggled with during the session due to a tailwind.
“It’s been an amazing experience for my first time in a Formula One car,” said Leclerc. “I was struggling quite a lot at the beginning, as Silverstone is quite a hard track with lots of high-speed corners, and I found the steering wheel quite stiff in comparison to anything I’ve driven before.
“However, it was a great session and lap after lap I gained confidence. The last run was on old tires, so we couldn’t show our real pace, but I think we were quite fast. We completed the program and that was the main aim, so I’m happy with that.
“It was probably one of the best days of my life, and to do it with Haas has been even more amazing.”
