Max Chilton took part in his first full Formula 1 test at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi this week, completing two days of running for the established Force India squad. The 20-year-old British driver relives the experience with GPUpdate.net, talks about the focus of his programme and looks ahead to 2012...
You enjoyed your first proper laps in a Formula 1 car this week, it must have been a very exciting experience…
It was an exciting experience to say the least! For anyone who has ever driven single seaters before it is just a life long’s dream to have a go, even for an hour. The past two days were in a good car, a midfield runner with a lot of potential. It was a great, great experience; I loved every minute of it and I think I did a good job, which is also a bonus.
What was the team's main area of focus throughout the test?
There was a lot of 2012 tyre testing for Pirelli. Some teams focused on their own aero because next year they’re running exhausts out the back and not the rear diffuser. But Force India was spending a lot of time testing with the new compounds, so I did a lot of new tyre runs with the different types of compounds.
We also did different aero setups for the Brazilian Grand Prix next week, so that took up the majority of the time. We did a couple of long race runs as well which were really good, they were impressed with the consistency and the speed. I just loved every minute of it, it was absolutely amazing!
As you said, you showed some strong pace at the end of the week, how did the team react to that?
It was good on the first day, I knew I had the speed. About an hour after lunch the KERS failed on the car which is worth about half a second a lap, so we gave it our best shot on Soft tyres and did a good time. Then Johnny Cecotto Jr. got in the car the next day when the track was a bit quicker, and he used Super Softs which were probably another second a lap quicker.
He also had KERS and was only two tenths quicker than my Soft run with no KERS, so I think they were impressed with my speed. Everything looked good for the next day, it all came together. It was a bit manic, but in the last half an hour I got a set of Super Softs on, had KERS and put in a really good time.
The lap was only kind of half a second off Adrian Sutil’s qualifying time, so I think they were impressed. The engineer I had was really complimentary and said that when Adrian and Paul (di Resta) were in their first test, I did just a good a job as they did.
How different was the experience of being in a Formula 1 garage compared to other categories, with the vast number of personnel?
Obviously I started off in F3, so when I first had a go in an F3 car I thought ‘wow there are a lot of people there’ because I was used to karts. Then it builds up, from GP2 - where you still have a lot of people, say 15 or 16 - to F1 is just another level. There was only one car per team for the rookie test, and there were probably 40 personnel there just for you. It’s quite different, when you speak on the radio there is a person for every part, and that’s why F1 is so advanced and why the cars are so good.
Looking ahead to 2012, do you think there will be the opportunity to secure a reserve role at Force India?
I’d love that chance. Obviously the job I did was good enough to impress and show my potential, but it’s tough out there. This year they’ve had Hülkenberg doing some of the Friday tests, and I don’t think a lot of the teams like having a Friday driver. I don’t know what their plans are as Force India haven’t decided their drivers for next year, so if Hülkenberg does get the seat then they aren’t going to have a reserve.
It would be good to get that but there is no talk of it yet, I just knew if I did a good job then there was the possibility they would ask. There’s no sign of that yet but that wasn’t the aim, the aim was just to experience an F1 car and give it my best shot.
As a main series, is another season in GP2 with Carlin still the target?
Yeah, I think that’s 99 percent done, unless something comes along which I’m not aware of. I haven’t had the best of luck in GP2, but I’ve now proven that I’ve got the speed. I think I’ve proven throughout this year that I’ve had the speed at certain points, as I’ve been third or fourth in two or three races with the car breaking down.
I think that with a run of good luck next year, I’ve got the speed and the team have got the potential. Carlin is obviously one of the best single seater teams out there.
Max Chilton was talking to GPUpdate.net's Mike Seymour
Twitter: @MaxChilton_, @MikeSeymourF1
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