Alongside regular driver Adrian Sutil, Sauber Formula 1 test driver Sergey Sirotkin took part for the first time in the morning practice session during a Grand Prix weekend at the Sochi Autodrom.
The 18-year-old Russian drove Esteban Gutiérrez's Ferrari-powered C33 this morning.
“In one of the cars we had Sergey, who did a good job, did not make any mistakes and built up the speed progressively,” declared Giampaolo Dall'Ara, Head of Track Engineering at Sauber.
Sergey Sirotkin, Sauber, Sochi. (Photo: WRi2)
The young Russian set the 17th fastest time this morning, completing 22 laps of the new circuit.
“It was a positive session. I like the track, and it was nice driving the C33,” said Sirotkin after his stint in the car.
“I took it easy at the beginning in order to build up confidence, as I have not driven the car for about half a year, but today I was able to quickly get the feeling for it. During my last fast lap at the end of the session, I was a bit unlucky with the traffic, and the tires did not have the optimal temperature. The conditions were not ideal, which cost me some time during my last fast lap. I see a lot of potential to improve, as I took it easy, and I was not pushing to the absolute limit,” he said.
“The track is quite nice, but also tricky. Turn 1 seems to be an easy corner, which can be taken flat out. However, I was a bit surprised on my first lap when I went through Turn 1, as it was quite bumpy in one place. Nevertheless, after a few laps you get used to the track's characteristics,” Sergey Sirotkin explained.
Sergey Sirotkin with Sauber's engineer. (Photo: WRi2)
The iconic McLaren M23-Ford Cosworth was never the most technically advanced Formula 1 car entered, but sound preparation, attention to detail and talented drivers gave it 21 victories and two world titles.
1 Gordon Coppock designed the McLaren M23 for the 1973 season. Denny Hulme captured pole position at its very first race in South Africa.
Emerson Fittipaldi, driving the original M23 fitted with the giant size airbox. (Photo: WRi2)
2 Several Formula 1 rookies such as Gilles Villeneuve, Nelson Piquet and Bruno Giacomelli raced the McLaren M23.
3 The McLaren M23 took two drivers to the F1 World Championship: Emerson Fittipaldi in 1974, and James Hunt in 1976.
James Hunt, behind the wheel of the modified M23 with the two small lateral air boxes. (Photo: WRi2)
4 McLaren built a grand total of 13 chassis of the M23 model.
5 Privateers purchased and modified some M23s. They received big block V8 engines to race in the F5000 series, and one was even bodied to compete in the Cam-Am Challenge in America.
6 Jody Scheckter was behind the wheel of a McLaren M23 when he triggered one the biggest pile-ups in Formula 1 history, caused by a spin at the end of the first lap of the 1973 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
7 The M23 became the first Cosworth-powered F1 car to be fitted with a in-house modified 6-speed Hewland gearbox (instead of 5).
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