Rio Haryanto says his confidence is growing “more and more”, but admits he is keen to complete a race simulation before making his first grand prix start in Australia.
Having been hampered by a small oil leak, the Indonesian had to settle for only 45 laps on Tuesday. Although he is feeling more comfortable in the MRT05, Haryanto admits he still needs to work on a few areas on his final day of pre-season testing to be fully up to speed for Melbourne.
“I’m quite happy with [last] afternoon because we managed to get our run plan down, so that was good,” the 23-year-old said. “In the end, I learned a lot and I’m getting more and more confidence with the team and with the car, which is really positive.
“I still need to do some race simulation and some more quali runs. That’d be a really good preparation before my first grand prix. We did a couple of starts, which gave me some good experience for Melbourne, also stopping on the marks and stuff like that. We’re getting closer and closer. With just one more day, I think will be 100% ready for Melbourne.”
With only eight days of pre-season testing, this year’s three F1 rookies have been faced with an even bigger challenge than in recent seasons. That said, Renault’s Jolyon Palmer was given extensive track time as Lotus’ reserve driver in 2015, while Haryanto’s team-mate Pascal Wehrlein tested with both Mercedes and Force India last year.
The former GP2 Series race winner hopes he can enjoy a smooth day for his final time in the car before the season kicks off Down Under.
“Testing is very limited and you only have one car running in each team,” commented Haryanto. “We just have to make the best of what we’ve got. Obviously, I am trying to catch up my knowledge about the car and also about the team. I am doing my best here.
“[I am looking] to adapt as quickly as possible and also to learn as much as possible. The team is here working very hard for me and also with the car.”
“We did not do any pit stops because we did not do a race simulation. I hope we will do one on the final day. We have to try and make the most out of it.”
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