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Youngest ever F1 tester drives Lotus
Malaysia’s Nabil Jeffri made history on Wednesday afternoon by becoming the youngest ever person to drive a Formula 1 car, as the 16-year-old piloted the Lotus in a straight-line aerodynamic test at Duxford’s Imperial War Museum in Cambridgeshire.
Although in-season testing on circuits remains strictly forbidden for all teams, F1 outfits are allowed a limited number of straight-line runs.
Supported by regular Lotus driver Heikki Kovalainen plus reserve Fairuz Fauzy as the team was entertained by a War World II Spitfire plane, Nabil – a member of AirAsia’s ASEAN Driver Development programme – not only drove the Cosworth-powered T127 but also completed a pit-stop practice.
“I have had an incredible day, one of the best days of my life, and I want to thank Lotus Racing, (Team Principal) Tony Fernandes and (Chief Technical Officer) Mike Gascoyne for giving me the chance to drive their car,” he said afterwards.
“I have to admit that the first time I went out it was pretty scary – everyone told me the acceleration would be unbelievable and the braking would be so much greater than anything I’ve ever experienced, and it took a while to get used to that, but Heikki and Fairuz gave me some advice on how to settle in to it and after a while I was more comfortable and was able to get through the day’s plan.
“It’s such an honour to have had this opportunity, and it’ll be a long time before the excitement wears off, but I’ll keep on working hard to one day join Heikki, Fairuz, Jarno (Trulli) and the rest of the F1 grid; and with the support of people like Tony and Lotus Racing, I’ve got a great chance of doing so.”
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Nabil Jeffri
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Caterham
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