Nico Hülkenberg completed 61 laps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Wednesday, and felt that his Renault Sport Formula 1 Team has continued to make solid progress with the RS17 every time they test.
The German set the seventh fastest time of the day despite only running in the morning session before he handed the car over to team-mate Jolyon Palmer, and he feels there is a lot of potential as they continue to work on set-up.
“We’ve made some positive changes to the car since yesterday and I had a solid and productive morning with 61 laps completed,” said Hülkenberg. “I feel that the car has good promise and we’re making definite progress every time we go out.
“We know we have a solid baseline which we can work and build on to make a fast car. I’m looking forward to continue work on track tomorrow afternoon.”
Palmer was left frustrated for a second day in a row after a hydraulic pressure leak restricted him to just 29 laps after only completing 15 laps on day one. The Briton was positive that Hülkenberg got a decent run during the morning session.
“It was a bit frustrating for me with quite a bit of time sat in the car whilst it was being checked over,” said Palmer. “Unfortunately, there was some work required before I was due to go out then there was some kind of really annoying pressure leak which would only show its face when I was about to take to the track.
“It’s one of those things that I’m sure the team will trace overnight, but it cost me track time today. The positive is that Nico had a good morning in the car so we know what is possible.”
