Gustav Malja may have finished at the bottom of the time sheets on Tuesday at the Hungaroring, but the Swede was extremely happy with his first test in a Formula 1 car with the Sauber F1 Team.
The twenty-one-year-old FIA Formula 2 Championship podium finisher completed 108 laps of the Hungarian circuit, but admitted it was a realisation of a childhood dream to drive a Formula 1 car on Tuesday, which he feels will aid his development as a racing driver.
Malja set a best time of 1:21.503s during the day, and will now hand the car over to another Formula 2 driver, Nobuharu Matsushita, for Wednesday’s second and final day of the test.
“It has been a great day for me,” said Malja. “Driving a Formula 1 car is something that I have been working towards and wanting since I was a child, and now it has become a reality.
“Overall, the experience has been a very positive one for me, and I have learned a lot for my development as a racing driver. We managed to complete our programme, and I did my best to implement all of the input from the team.
“I am happy to have completed this test successfully for the Sauber F1 Team.”
