Daniel’s Jerez Test, Day Two: Horner’s Debrief

On the second day of running in Jerez we spoke to Christian Horner about the importance of these tests and what he’s looking for over the three day sessions.

First of all, why are we here testing in Spain?
“It’s a great way to have a look at the youngsters; it’s a very good initiative that lets us have 12 young drivers out here today. From a Red Bull perspective in Daniel we’ve got one of our most exciting prospects in the car. He acquitted himself well on his first day. 112 laps on a physically very demanding track… he’s done a great job.”

Is the team testing the car or just testing the driver?
“One of the reasons we’ve elected to run the same driver for three days is because some our work at this test is focussed on next year, so it’s good to have continuity. Rather than chopping and changing we wanted to run the same driver over three days to have a consistency of feedback. It’s the only test between now and next February which makes it very, very important.”

And how did Daniel look to you?
“He’s had a very good first day: his times were competitive, his feedback was good and he had a good level of fitness, so it’s a good start into a Formula One career. And this is more than about just speed. It’s about being a complete package. Speed; fitness; feedback; intelligence; feel. They’re all factors and they’re all part of what we’re evaluating.”

For more on the junior drivers’ testing, see the January edition of The Red Bulletin, or visit the website www.redbulletin.com in the new year.