Louis Delétraz: "I enjoyed every second" 🎥
GOOD F1 TEST Switzerland has a new Formula 1 driver - albeit only for one day of testing. But Louis Delétraz made a good impression with the Haas-Ferrari in Abu Dhabi. The GP teams use the last official tests before the winter break to test next year's Pirelli tires immediately after the Abu Dhabi GP at the Yas Marina Circuit [...]
Onto the next stint...@LouisDeletraz exits the garage once more.#HaasF1 #F1Testing @adssgroup pic.twitter.com/yReEfuhE8Y
- Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) November 28, 2018
The GP teams use the last official tests before the winter break to test next year's Pirelli tires immediately after the Abu Dhabi GP at the Yas Marina Circuit and compare them with those of 2018. The HaasF1 team had the second day of testing virtually financed by Louis Delétraz's main sponsor.
A dream come true
The 21-year-old from Geneva completed a total of 117 laps in the current Haas-Ferrari VF-18, which is equivalent to 650 kilometers and more than twice the distance of a Grand Prix.
The tenth-placed driver in the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship did well. On 2019 Pirelli P Zero Pink Hypersoft tires, Louis turned 1'39.069 on his 58th lap, the ninth-best time of the eleven drivers testing.
Louis Delétraz: "For me, a dream I'd had since childhood has come true. I enjoyed every second in the car. I think the team was satisfied with my work and can do something with the data collected. After all, the lap times were not the main focus. It was interesting to compare two types of tires I'd never been on before. ."
How did the transition from the 620-hp Formula 2 to the Formula 1 car work out?
Louis Delétraz: "The biggest change was the brakes. It's unbelievable how fast you approach the corners, how late you can brake and how much grip a Formula 1 race car builds up. Physically, I had no problems. Even though I only knew about this test day a month ago, I prepared for such a moment long beforehand."
Difficult comparison
On the first day of testing, Pietro Fittipaldi clocked 1'39.201 on the same type of tire on the American car, making the grandson of two-time Formula 1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi the eighth fastest of twelve drivers, leaving the likes of F1 returnee Robert Kubica in the Williams and Sauber returnee Kimi Räikkönen behind. However, because the teams set their own test schedules and were largely free to choose the tires they tested, no direct comparisons can be made.
Fittipaldi Jr. will become an official test driver at HaasF1 in 2019, while Delétraz will complete a third season in Formula 2. To this end, he will also take part in the Formula 2 teams' final tests.
Fast Ferrari
Ferrari set the fastest times of the day on both days with Sebastian Vettel (1'36.812) and Charles Leclerc (1'36.450). For the Monegasque, who switched from Sauber to the Scuderia, it was his first appearance in red.
