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Williams praises Rowland for 'superb job' after first proper F1 run

Williams' official young driver Oliver Rowland enjoyed his first day of testing on Tuesday in Barcelona, the British hopeful putting 121 trouble-free laps under his belt.

The former Formula Renault 3.5 Series champion concluded his day of with the ninth quickest time, but more importantly with the compliments of the team.

"It’s been a really good day of testing," said Williams' Performance projects - Principal Engineer Dave Robson.

"Oliver’s got through in excess of 120 laps which, given this was achieved within a large number of very short runs, is a phenomenal number.

"The car has worked really well and we got through an awful lot of test items and we have a lot of data to go through tonight. For his first day testing with us, Oliver has done an absolutely superb job."

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Rowland was also delighted with his day of work, happy to contribute to Williams' much needed progress given the team's poor performance of late of its FW41.

"Today was really good,” said the 25-year-old. "We completed a lot of laps and worked through our programme.

"It was nice to get my first proper run in an F1 car. In general, the team has learnt quite a bit so we are happy.

"I actually felt quite comfortable in the car and we got the times down pretty quickly. I didn’t drive as fast as I could as I couldn’t risk crashing, so I didn’t push it too much.

"In the morning we went through quite a lot of stuff on new and old tyres so it was interesting to get a feel for everything.

"I would like to thank Williams for this opportunity which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed, I hope my feedback helps the team move forwards."

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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.