F1 - 2011 - Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi - Young Drivers' Test
Renault F1 - 2011 Young Driver Test - DAY 2
Kevin Korjus’s first taste of the R31.
Kevin Korjus took the helm of the R31 cockpit today during the second day of testing in Abu Dhabi. The opportunity gave him his first ever taste of an F1 car.
Driver: Kevin Korjus (Estonian, 18)
Chassis: R31-04
Fastest Lap: 1:43.776
Position: P8
Total laps: 70
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What we learned today:
• It was a day of firsts for Kevin: the day was based around getting Kevin comfortable in the car and giving him as much mileage as possible. He adapted to the car and the systems.
• Kevin did 70 laps which is not easy for someone making his debut in an F1 car, and he’s only 18 years old.
• We explored the set-up early on and changed a few things during the day – this included a little bit of the Pirelli tyre work and some aerodynamic testing.
• Kevin’s feedback was good and he did a good job.
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Kevin: "It was very much a learning day for me – my first chance to drive the R31. The main priority was to give me a little bit of assessment; I gradually built up my confidence, and then by lunchtime I was feeling pretty comfortable with things. I was looking forward to doing some hard laps, but I must say it was really hard especially for my neck, physically and to learn all the buttons, and to do everything at the correct time. It is very different from the World Series. Now I feel I need a bit of rest. Otherwise I really enjoyed the day because the car was just unbelievably good. It’s much quicker everywhere and I was particularly impressed by the brakes. I was definitely getting more and more comfortable because the brain starts to remember all the buttons. I learned there is still a lot to improve to be a really good driver in F1, and also I need to work a lot on my fitness but I’m very thankful for the opportunity Lotus Renault GP has given me today."
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Alan Permane’s technical programme notes
• Kevin took a sensible approach to the day, slowly building up his pace and giving good feedback to the team, and showing good speed on new tyres.
• The planned programme was similar to Robert Wicken’s yesterday – some set-up work, new tyre runs and long runs in the afternoon.
• We also continued with aero mapping, which has been one of the main priorities of the day, along with the tyre evaluation.
