Brendon Hartley was delighted with the “really positive” start made by Toro Rosso and new engine supplier Honda after a trouble-free day to begin Formula 1 testing.
The Kiwi managed 93 laps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in a program that was curtailed by poor weather in the afternoon, the second-highest total by an individual driver and third best of the 10 teams.
It was an achievement that highlighted the progress Honda has made in the last year, with that number of laps merely a dream with McLaren 12 months ago, and the former WEC champion couldn’t have been happier.
“We were first out on track and up until the rain hit and we boxed we’d done the most laps,” he said. “We had no reliability issues and I think that’s the target for Honda, especially for this first part of the season.
“It was really positive today and the driveability was great, there’s really no complaints. A perfect start from that point of view and hopefully we can build on that.”
The next step for Toro Rosso and the Japanese manufacturer is to maintain that reliability as they turn the engine up, with Hartley’s best lap quite steady, almost two seconds off the fastest overall set by Daniel Ricciardo.
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Another issue more specific to the 28-year-old is learning the Pirelli tyres, which has been his biggest hurdle since returning to F1 late last year.
“The tyre is a very tricky one in F1. Unlocking the tyre [performance] is one of the biggest challenges for the driver and getting it in the right window at the right time,” Hartley admitted.
“Unfortunately with the weather over the next two days we might not learn as much but I’m going to be much more prepared come Melbourne than what I was going into Austin last year.”