It was a long day for Jules Bianchi, on his return to the wheel of a Formula 1 car. The Frenchman reeled off almost five hundred kilometres – 472 to be precise – in the 150° Italia, on the first of three days of testing for the Scuderia and the eleven other teams taking part in the World Championship, at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit.
The team also had a lot of work to do between yesterday and today, fitting a myriad of sensors on the car, some of them particularly plain to see. In fact, one of the main objectives of the day was to gather data on the aerodynamic behaviour of the car, especially the new front wing, which had suffered a few teething troubles in recent races. The saying goes that the stopwatch is not important in testing, but Jules would definitely have given the times the once over. His 1.40.960 was the second fastest of the day, beaten only by a 1.40.011 from his fellow countryman Jean-Eric Vergne, at the wheel of the Red Bull.
“I would say it was a good day. Especially this morning, when we worked mainly on aerodynamics,” explained Jules. “From a driving point of view it was not particularly fun to do, however it was very important for the team and is part of the job of being a test driver. In the afternoon, we made adjustments to the car to adapt it to my driving style and so I was able to push a bit, but the most important thing is that were able to do a lot of running without any problems.”
Inevitably, as the season comes to an end, there is talk of programmes for next year: that is especially the case when it comes to a young driver who wants to continue to improve. “Honestly, I don’t know what I will be doing next year,” said the Ferrari man. “My aim is to get into Formula 1. I feel ready and, along with Nicolas, I will do all I can to get there. Disappointed with my season? A bit, because the aim was to win the GP2 title and unfortunately I ended up third. The early part was very bad, with too many mistakes, but then I redeemed myself. All the same, finishing two consecutive championships in a podium position is not that bad is it?”
Tomorrow, Jules will continue to rack up the kilometres for the Reds: the programme will also feature testing of the experimental tyres that Pirelli has brought to Abu Dhabi aimed at next year. Now is the time for everyone to be looking to the future.