Manor
Rio Haryanto (12th, 1:28.249, 78 laps)
“This has been an incredible day - for me and my country. Of course I’ve tested a Formula 1 car previously, but never before with the knowledge that I am guaranteed to race it as well. Everything feels very real and exciting finally. We’re now on the fast track to Melbourne and my first ever Formula 1 Grand Prix, which is such an incredible and emotional feeling for me. Inside the car there was a lot of work to focus on, picking up the programme from the past two days and trying lots of things to get me used to the car’s behaviour with different set-ups. It felt really good and we made a lot of progress with evaluations and gathering data. I can’t wait to be back on track tomorrow.”
John McQuilliam, technical director
“Rio was itching to get in the car today, after waiting patiently on the sidelines for the first two days of our programme. He was quickly up to speed and eager to explore the car’s behaviour and potential. For someone on the receiving end of such enormous support – back home and here in Barcelona – he has handled himself really well, remaining fully focused in the garage and cockpit. He can be proud of his first day’s work and it is certainly encouraging for us that we have two very hungry drivers on the books, to match the positive signs we’re seeing with the MRT05 out of the box.”
