- Young driver testing - Jerez
Hartley and Ricciardo struggle in Spain
- Teams:
- BMW Sauber
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- Ferrari
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- McLaren
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- Mercedes
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- Racing Point
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- Red Bull
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- Renault
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- Toro Rosso
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- Williams
- Picture Gallery:
- Young driver test, Jerez, Spain
BMW's Alexander Rossi topped the times after the first morning of young driver testing in Jerez, while Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull and Toro Rosso driver Brendon Hartley both made mistakes early on.
The test has been specifically designed to allow the teams to evaluate drivers with less than three grand prix of experience. All of last season's teams, with the exception of Toyota that pulled out of the sport in November, have taken the opportunity to run lesser known names.
Ricciardo and Hartley didn't start their days as planned, spinning out at the same corner. The session was red flagged to allow both Red Bull backed teams to retrieve their stricken cars.
Williams tester Andy Soucek was happy with his morning's work and was impressed by the step up from the Formula 2 car he raced this year. "I had forgotten just how fast these cars are," he said.
Meanwhile DTM driver Paul di Resta said he was hoping the next three days of testing for Force India would be a constructive experience.
"It is a very exciting time and I have to be realistic and productive over these testing days," he told the BBC. "It is very difficult to predict anything. Force India is giving me a chance to drive the car and we are looking to try to bond a relationship that will work for many years to come.
"I need to build myself up to speed in the car because it's very different from what I am used to. I am sure the team have a lot of tests to run for next year and a lot of checks to make, so from both accounts it's going to be a big learning curve and, over the next three days, hopefully I can help them to try to achieve this goal at the end of it."