MEDIABALAP.com (Tuesday, 18 April 2017)

BAHRAIN TEST 03 – DAY 1
Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, 5.412 kms
Car: STR12

Driver: Sean Gelael
Laps: 78
Best time: 1:33.885

Sean Gelael (Car 38):
“Today is a day I will never forget – to finally drive a Formula 1 car is something every driver dreams of, and to do it with Scuderia Toro Rosso makes it even more special. What an amazing feeling! This year’s car is a beast, it’s so quick! I settled in nicely throughout the day and we definitely made progress. I was able to complete plenty of laps and get used to the car quickly. The power and overall grip is amazing and, compared to the Formula 2 car I drive, the grip under braking and the kerb riding are two of the biggest differences I felt. Honestly, it’s really fun to drive and I’d like to thank everyone who made this possible! I now can’t wait to drive the STR12 again in a few months’ time at the test in Hungary.”

Jody Egginton (Head of Vehicle Performance):
“Today was an opportunity for evaluation of a number of development items we have been working on recently, but also a fantastic chance for Sean Gelael to sample a current-spec F1 car. He acclimatised himself very well, covering a number of test items across a range of tyre compounds, gathering some very useful data for the team. Sean drove consistently, making no mistakes and he therefore should be very happy. We will head into tonight with a lot of data
to analyse and a further packed run program for tomorrow – Daniil will be driving in the morning and Carlos in the afternoon.” (tororosso.com/arl)