After only being told he was driving a couple of days before the opening free practice sessions of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Nico Hülkenberg had a day of learning behind the wheel of the AMR22 on Friday, getting laps on the board to understand more about the car.
Hülkenberg was called up as a last-minute replacement for Sebastian Vettel with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team, with the four-time World Champion being ruled out of the event after testing positive for COVID-19.
Test driver Hülkenberg had not driven the AMR22 before Friday afternoon’s opening free practice session, but the German was able to get up to speed relatively quickly, setting the fourteenth fastest time in the session. He slipped to seventeenth in the evening, but Hülkenberg was pleased to get back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car for the first time since the Eifel Grand Prix of 2020.
“I think today was promising for me: it was all about getting up to speed with the car,” said Hülkenberg. “I spoke to Sebastian yesterday and he gave me his feedback and insight, so it is always good to have that preparation before jumping into the car.
“However, I was surprised by how different it was, the feel of the tyre, in particular, and the braking process. I am happy with my feeling in the car, though, and how I was able to build on every run to feel more and more comfortable.
“There is always room for more and we will keep working to make progress. This weekend will be a good challenge and I will enjoy every lap in the car.”
“I do not think our times today were representative” – Lance Stroll
Team-mate Lance Stroll finished only a tenth better off in the evening session under the lights in Bahrain, with the Canadian ending only sixteenth fastest having been tenth earlier in the day.
However, Stroll does not feel where he was on the timesheets represents his true pace, with a mistake on his best lap costing him a few tenths of a second that would have seen him much higher up the pecking order.
Stroll also praised the work Hülkenberg did in the other car, particularly coming into the weekend without any testing nor knowledge of the new-look 2022 cars.
“I think there is some real excitement in the paddock this weekend because it is the first race with these new regulations,” said Stroll. “It is very tough to tell where everyone stands and we will not truly find out until qualifying tomorrow.
“For us, today was about continuing to learn about the car. We had some solid days in pre-season testing, but there is always more to learn so every lap is valuable.
“I do not think our times today were representative: I ran wide at Turn 11 on my Soft tyre run, but I am happy with our overall progress. I am looking forward to fighting for the best possible grid position tomorrow.
“I also want to say that Nico did a good job today after a late call-up, it is not easy to jump back in after time away.”
Lance Stroll ending sixth in the afternoon but only sixteenth in the evening – Credit: Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team