Gasly labels test day a 'mega experience'

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Bahrain's second and final day of the year's first in-season F1 test saw Pierre Gasly take over from Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull Racing.

The young Frenchman's workload was consequential as a result Tuesday's lost mileage. Despite a mechanical issue that resulted in a spell in the garage mid-afternoon, Gasly branded his first outing in the team's 2017 RB13 a "mega experience".

"It was great to be in a Formula 1 car again. It’s always really exciting, especially in the new F1 cars, which are so much quicker than last year’s," said the junior bull of his 65 laps behind the wheel.

"It was a pretty busy programme this morning mostly because of the time lost yesterday. There were a lot of aero tests and some long runs, so we achieved quite a lot this morning.

"Unfortunately we had a mechanical issue at the end of the morning that stopped us a bit earlier than we wanted and we missed some running time in the afternoon.

"However, apart from that it was a mega experience. It always feels amazing to drive one of these cars.

"Now I head to Japan for the first race of the Super Formula Championship, which I’m really looking forward to."

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Red Bull Racing's senior projects engineer Jeff Calam weighed in on Pierre Gasly's day.

"Unfortunately, we had a technical issue with the car around lunchtime, which proved quite complex to remedy," said Calam.

"However, the boys did a superb job to get the car back out with just under an hour to go and we spent the remainder of the session just gaining as much information as we could.

"Pierre did a very good job for us today, especially as this was his first experience of the car and with the limits on his track time.

GALLERY: All the action from the Day 2 in-season testing at Bahrain

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.