Rising star Esteban Ocon completed a day high 139 laps of the Silverstone circuit as the post-British Grand Prix test come to an end on Wednesday.
The 2014 European Formula 3 and 2015 GP3 Series champion spent his second day behind the wheel of the championship leading Mercedes AMG PETRONAS W07 Hybrid, and set the pace during the morning session only to see his time beaten by the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen in the afternoon.
Ocon, who is racing in the DTM Series with Mercedes in 2016 alongside his role as reserve driver with the Renault Sport F1 team, admitted he felt comfortable straight away in the Mercedes Formula 1 car on Wednesday, and thanked the team for allowing him the opportunity to test, feeling he improved his performance throughout the day.
“I felt really comfortable in the car today,” said Ocon. “We were able to do 139 laps and finished all of our planned programmes.
“We started the day with some aerodynamic tests which went well. Then, in the afternoon, I was able to improve my driving with every lap – especially using the soft tyres.
“I am really thankful for the opportunity the team have given. It’s really allowed me to learn a lot.”
