Nico Hulkenberg was “happy” but “surprised” by the new Aston Martin Formula 1 car in practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Replacing Sebastian Vettel, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, the German got his first taste of the all-new AMR22 built to the very different 2022 regulations.
And despite having helped in the development of the car on the simulator, Hulkenberg still wasn’t expecting what he discovered on the track for real.
“I spoke to Sebastian yesterday and he gave me his feedback and insight, so it is always good to have that preparation before jumping into the car,” he revealed.
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“However, I was surprised by how different it was, the feel of the tyre, in particular, and the braking process.”
Even so, Hulkenberg was certainly a fast learner as he finished Friday only a tenth of a second behind teammate Lance Stroll, who of course has the benefit of a full pre-season in the Aston.
“I think today was promising for me: it was all about getting up to speed with the car,” Nico commented.
It’s not every day you get called up to drive the #AMR22. ?
You smashed it out there today, @HulkHulkenberg. Let’s keep pushing. Join us as we debrief Friday with #NH27.#F1 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/Ws1BNkAjTn
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) March 18, 2022
“I am happy with my feeling in the car, and how I was able to build on every run to feel more and more comfortable.
“There is always room for more and we will keep working to make progress. This weekend will be a good challenge and I will enjoy every lap in the car.”
Whether Aston Martin will be competitive though is a different question as Stroll and Hulkenberg were only 16th and 17th in the final FP2 standings.
“I think there is some real excitement in the paddock this weekend because it is the first race with these new regulations,” the Canadian said.
“It is very tough to tell where everyone stands and we will not truly find out until qualifying tomorrow. For us, today was about continuing to learn about the car.
“We had some solid days in pre-season testing, but there is always more to learn so every lap is valuable.
“I do not think our times today were representative: I ran wide at Turn 11 on my Soft tyre run, but I am happy with our overall progress. I am looking forward to fighting for the best possible grid position tomorrow.
“I also want to say that Nico did a good job today after a late call-up, it is not easy to jump back in after time away.”