Manor
Rio Haryanto - 9th, 1:35.631
Rio, a good day’s testing in the bag, despite the weather?
“Yes, we’ve had a busy programme of development work to get through today and I’m pleased that we’ve been able to complete that. This morning was very smooth because the conditions were more favourable, then this afternoon the weather turned and it has stayed pretty damp since. Today has been less about performance and outright pace, and more about understanding the way the car felt running the car in different mechanical set-ups and with new aero developments.”
How do you feel about the new developments? Have you seen positive improvements?
“They seem to be a positive step, so it’s good to get the chance to evaluate these properly before we introduce them over the next races. It’s a step by step approach – a bit here, a little more there – and I’m sure we will see them having a positive influence on performance as we work our way through the second half of the season.”
Luca Furbatto, Chief Designer
“I think we can feel positive about the work we’ve completed today. These two days of testing are really important at this stage of the season, as we work to bring more developments to the car for the second half of the calendar. We have quite a detailed programme of mechanical and aerodynamic items to focus on and it’s good to be able to explore them in an environment that lends itself to a thorough evaluation, rather than busy race weekends.
“Rio has done a very good job today. He has the back-to-back understanding of the various components, so the fact that his feedback is aligned to what we are seeing in the data is encouraging.
“Now we look forward to welcoming our Development Driver Jordan King back to the MRT05 tomorrow to continue the good work completed by Rio, and of course to aid his own development.”
