Young driver Luiz Razia provided Sahara Force India team “good feedback” when he drove the VJM05 on day one of the young driver test here.

Razia and Rodolfo Gonzalez had joined the Indian Formula One outfit’s reserve driver Jules Bianchi for the three-day young driver test.

Of all the 65 laps that Razia drove, his fastest came in 1:18.535 minutes on soft tyres.

The 23-year-old Brazilian is currently second in the GP2 Series standings.

“The biggest challenge was getting used to all the switches on the steering wheel so that was good experience and I learned about all the car’s systems. I also got to experience KERS for the first time.

“There were some issues with the car in the morning so I did most of my laps in the afternoon and the track just got faster and faster as the track rubbered in. We made some improvements to the car during my runs in the afternoon and some balance corrections which worked well,” Razia said.

Jules will take over the testing duties on the second day and 26-year-old Gonzalez, who is also competing in the GP2 Series, will drive the VJM05 on the final day of testing.

Jakob Andreasen, Chief Engineer, was happy with Razia’s impressive drive.

“He looked very comfortable in the car and was immediately giving good feedback on grip levels and car handling. We tried to give Luiz a feel of what is needed to be a Formula One driver, so the day included some launches and pit stop simulations, and we also got his feedback on set-up items. He handled everything very well, including the KERS and DRS, and did all that we asked of him. The lap times were competitive and he set his best time on the soft tyres towards the end of the day,” he said.

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