Alfonso Celis Jr participated in his sixth free practice session of the season for the Sahara Force India F1 Team as he finished eleventh fastest in FP1 at the Yas Marina Circuit on Friday.
The Mexican replaced Nico Hülkenberg in the VJM09 for the session, and admitted it was a great chance for him to prove to the team just what he had learned in the past twelve months, especially as he made his track debut with the team in Abu Dhabi in 2015.
Celis admitted that every time he steps into the seat he feels more at ease and is able to focus on his driving, which showed on Friday as he ended just 1.321 seconds down on Sergio Perez, a vast improvement on where he was earlier this season.
“This is where I made my Formula One debut one year ago, so it was the chance to show how much I have learned over the last twelve months,” said Celis. “Every time I get in the car, it gets easier, and knowing the team well means that once the helmet is on I can just focus on my driving.
“I am pleased with my performance today – working through the job list and giving the team plenty of information to study this evening.”
