Joining Ferrari is a special moment in the career of every Formula 1 driver – while the first laps of the legendary Fiorano test track at Scuderia are a special rite of passage. Carlos Sainz was the youngest driver to experience the thrill of getting behind the wheel of a Ferrari F1 machine – and according to the Spaniard, he did not disappoint.
On his debut for Scuderia since joining the team last May, Sainz drove a 2018 Ferrari SF71H to the 2.997km circuit at Fiorano to familiarize himself with Ferrari’s systems before the pre-season tests He and his newcomer Teammate Charles Leclerc will only test the new SF21 for a day and a half at a time.
But for Sainz, the serious running didn’t start until after overcoming the thrill of seeing his number on a Ferrari for the first time …
FIRST LOOK: See the first few pictures of Carlos Sainz driving for Ferrari as he makes his test debut
“A day I’ll never forget!” said Sainz afterwards. “One of the special moments for me today was when I got to the racetrack and saw the Ferrari with my number 55. I really wanted to get in the car and this first round of installation was exciting.
“Then we got down to work and I’m very happy with how the day went. We were able to go through an extensive program and I was able to familiarize myself with the entire setup: the engineers and mechanics, the steering wheel, the procedures, which are obviously a little different from the ones on the car I drove last season.
“I’m very happy and couldn’t have asked for a better start.”
READ MORE: Leclerc to receive first F1 run of 2021 after Armstrong and Alesi make Ferrari test debuts
Sainz will be back at the SF71H on Thursday morning before handing the car over to Mick Schumacher, who will spend Thursday afternoons and Friday mornings lapping Fiorano as he prepares for his F1 debut with Haas in 2021.
Callum Ilott will round out Ferrari’s five-day test, which also included Giuliano Alesi, Marcus Armstrong, Robert Shwartzman, as well as Leclerc himself, which completed over 100 laps Tuesday before taking a seat in Ferrari’s vehicle assembly department on Wednesday.
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