Silverstone: Kimiya Sato had his first outing in a Formula One car on day three of the Young Driver Training Test at Silverstone. In the morning, he was building up his confidence and pace lap by lap. The afternoon saw the current Auto GP leader running through the programme without any problems. Sato completed a total of 67 laps, which is an impressive 394.697 kilometres.

Kimiya Sato said, “I’m really amazed after driving a Formula One car for the first time. It’s so sharp and it reacts very quickly too, especially when steering and braking. It’s incredible. From a physical point of view, it’s also tough. I have raced in Silverstone before, so I do know the track well, but nothing compares to this. To drive here in a Formula One car feels completely different, and the speed is incredible. The morning was really good.”

“In the afternoon I used a few new sets of tyres and tried to improve my lap times. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out the way I wanted it to. The track conditions changed, the wind picked up and the circuit was generally slower. Driving a Formula One car today was really good, and I had a lot of fun. But the next step is to really work on improving my lap times,” he added.

Tom McCullough, Head of Track Engineering, said, “It is always exciting being associated with a driver’s first day in a Formula One car, as it is a very special day for him. Kimiya’s mature approach to the day impressed us all, as he worked well with the Engineers, improving throughout the day. This also allowed us to complete some further aero testing, which was valuable to us as a team. Our three-day test plan was very ambitious. We managed to get through the programme and are happy with all the data we have gathered on both the new aero package and the 2012 construction tyres. We feel well prepared for the Budapest race.”