Aitken happy after building 'solid foundations' on first day

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Williams rookie Jack Aitken says he built "some solid foundations" on his first day of running at Sakhir on Friday.

The 25-year-old was drafted in by Williams to replace George Russell who has been loaned to Mercedes to fill in for a COVID-infected Lewis Hamilton.

Aitken concluded his day at the bottom of the time sheet, along with Haas novice Pietro Fittipaldi, but was overall happy with his 91-lap workout behind the wheel of the Grove-based outfit's FW43.

"Today was pretty cool and I got lots of laps under my belt," he said. "We spent the first few laps in FP1 refreshing what I did during FP1 in Austria, so it was all pretty familiar, and I got up to speed quickly.

"There is some work to be done on our one lap pace, but the race form was encouraging so I am pretty happy.

"We built some solid foundations today, so I am looking forward to getting into qualifying.

"It will be tough tomorrow in qualifying; keeping your wits about you and being aware and hopefully we can be on the right side of things."

Read also: 'Impatient' Aitken first to contact Williams for Sakhir drive

Dave Robson, Williams' head of vehicle performance, commended Aitken for his "rate of learning" on Friday.

"Jack has driven very well and although he damaged his second set of tyres in FP1, he was still able to complete some useful operational practice at the end of the session," said Robson.

"His FP2 session was very good as he completed his qualifying programme before getting stuck into the high fuel race runs.

"He was able to get a good idea of what will be required in the race on Sunday and his rate of learning was excellent."

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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.