Esteban Ocon finally got to drive the Mercedes AMG PETRONAS W07 Hybrid in anger as he completed a day high 123 laps of Silverstone on Tuesday.
Having sat out the post-Spanish Grand Prix test with the team after initially being announced to drive, Ocon revelled in the experience, with his best lap of 1:32.833 coming on the medium Pirelli tyre.
The 2015 GP3 Series champion and current DTM Series racer enjoyed his first day in the car, and is looking forward to getting back out on track on day two of the test on Wednesday.
“It felt great to drive the car,” said Ocon. “It took me a few runs to get used to it, as driving a Formula One car is still new to me – especially here at Silverstone as it has a few high-speed corners.
“But, at the end, I was really close to the limit, so that was a really good feeling. We needed to make most of the early weather, as we knew it would rain in the afternoon, so we planned most of our running in the morning.
“The afternoon was a bit tricky but we still managed to keep going and were able to finish our programme. The weather in the afternoon was quite tough, as it kept changing constantly. But I think we were able to manage the situation well and it gave me the possibility to experience dry and wet weather conditions.
“That was a great experience, as I was able to test all the different kinds of tyres. To drive in DTM and Formula One is an amazing feeling. I really enjoyed driving for this great team today and it’s a big chance for a young driver like me to get that experience, so I am looking forward to tomorrow with a big smile on my face.”
