Daniel Juncadella debuts in F1 pre-season test for Sahara

JEREZ (SPAIN): Spanish driver Daniel Juncadella made his Force India debut in the opening Formula 1 pre-season test as the team wrapped up its first week of trial, here.

Juncadella, who is the team's reserve driver, covered 81 laps in the VJM07 with the fastest lap timing of 1:29.457 minutes.

"It was my first day working with the team and it was a big challenge because of the tricky conditions. I took things very cautiously because I had never driven a Formula One car in the wet and for the whole day the track still had damp patches," said Daniel Juncadella.

"It was a case of building up my confidence and learning how the team operates. We covered a lot of laps, which was a big improvement after quite a frustrating day yesterday. It's what the team needed before the Bahrain test to really start understanding the car," he said.

Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Operating Officer, said: "The final day in Jerez has proved to be the most productive so far. Despite the mixed weather conditions, Daniel was able to cover 81 laps, which has given him valuable experience for his role as a reserve driver this season. The car has run reliably all day, which is a result of all the hard work carried out earlier in the week to resolve some of the initial reliability concerns."