18-year-old Santino Ferrucci exceeded expectations during his first Formula 1 test at Silverstone this week, according to Haas team principal Guenther Steiner.
Ferrucci joined Haas at the beginning of the year in a development role before receiving his first run-out in the VF-16 car on Tuesday.
Ferrucci completed 162 laps over two days while also becoming the first American to drive an American-run F1 car since 1977.
“It was a great day and we achieved a lot for the team,” Ferrucci said, reflecting on his Wednesday running.
“We started with pit stop practices and everything went really well. I was then able to concentrate on some performance runs this afternoon. The soft tire was absolutely brilliant to drive on. The braking points are obviously a little bit later on the yellow tires and the traction was incredible.
“The guys did a great job setting up the car. The balance, for me, felt good all day. I had a lot of confidence in the car to really push the limits. Physically I felt good and the more laps I ran, the better I was feeling.
“It’s good to know I prepared well to be able to hop into the Formula One car from my GP3 car. Everything I’ve learned here will help me in the GP3 Series.
“The last couple of days have been a phenomenal experience. I couldn’t be happier.”
Steiner heaped praise upon the native of Woodbury, CT, saying that he exceeded the team’s expectations heading into the test.
“The last two days have been very worthwhile for us,” Steiner said.
“It was a good job by Santino. He did more than we expected him to do.
“He only recently turned 18, and these cars aren’t easy to drive, but he was well prepared.
“Everybody on the team has been impressed with him.”
