Mick Schumacher was left satisfied with his first experience of a Formula 1 practice session on Friday in Abu Dhabi.
The F2 champion, who is confirmed at Haas for 2021, completed 23 laps and was 18th fastest, almost four seconds off the pace.
But that was of little relevancy as Schumacher got himself acquainted with the car he’ll be driving next season.
“Everything went well and I’m really happy with how the session went,” he commented.
“There were no major issues on either side, so I’m really, really happy. I prefer being quite direct with feedback even though I might not have as much experience in F1 cars as other people do.
“Nevertheless, it was good to give feedback on anything I could notice. On that part, I think everything went well.
“It was a hell of a ride, it was really fun and great to be back in an F1 car.”
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Schumacher’s running was slightly disrupted by Virtual Safety Car’s and traffic as he tried the hard and soft Pirelli tyres.
And the 21-year-old explained how the main goal was to really just explore the boundaries of his Haas.
“You have to sometimes go over the limit to feel where the limit is,” said Schumacher. “For me, it was more about trying out more things.
“We had a small moment in Turn 1. I was on my third push lap on the softs. You already start feeling the rears quite well at that moment. It was trying to see what the car could do.
“Other moments [during FP1] were me trying some different features on driving style but also the car itself.
“I’m sure I’ll find my way through much easier and be able to go more over the limit in the young driver test on Tuesday.”
Indeed, Schumacher will get a crucial full day of running at Yas Marina, with pre-season limited to just one-and-a-half days per driver ahead of Australia.
And Mick laid out his main objectives.
“Any running is good running and great preparation for me next year, so it is now to really get that first taste,” Schumacher said.
“Then the Young Driver Test is really going to be for me to work on certain things such as long runs which are very important.
“The high-fuel [during FP1] was quite different to everything I’ve done before.
“Up until now I’ve only driven an F1 car on low-fuel so it was definitely informative and valuable time for me in the car to feel how much can I brake, and how much can I push still.”
In F2, Schumi Jr also became best-known for his lightning starts and he hopes to repeat that trait in F1.
“Hopefully, we’ll work on some starts and just really get used to the team and familiarise with the car,” he said.
“My practice start actually went really well for my first start in an F1 car, so happy with that.”