F1 testing – Valsecchi feels ready for the deep end

Davide Valsecchi had the pleasant surprise of replacing Kimi Räikkönen this morning at the Barcelona test. The reserve driver was able to complete 16 laps of the track before Romain Grosjean don’t come and take over in the afternoon. The reigning GP2 Series champion, who succeeded the Frenchman at Dams, set the 11th time of the day (1'23"448) a few thousandths behind the time set by the French driver. His impressions are more than positive at the end of this experience.

“This morning assured me that I was competitive enough to join the group but I would like to be competitive enough to win races, that’s my goal.”, commented Davide Valsecchi. “Lotus is a top team. Räikkönen is strong enough to win the Championship and I would like to be like him. If Kimi finishes third, I'm ready to aim for sixth place. I was able to notice that the car was competitive under normal conditions, with gasoline on board and everything else. The car is fast since I was immediately in the group after two stints. I wasn't at my best and there was a good margin. »

David Valsecchi sought a starting driver position this season, but the only convincing opportunity came from Lotus F1 Team, the other teams demanding a budget too large for its means. “We received calls but they were asking us for financial partners. However, I only own a Fiat Punto and what's more, it's red. The economy in Italy is not in the best shape at the moment and we cannot fight at the sponsorship level. We cannot cope with Mexico, Brazil and South America, and the requests I received demanded something from me that I did not have. Lotus is the only team that offered me something. If I one day become the best driver in the world, I will remember it. »

Results ? Day 7 Barcelona

1/ Lewis Hamilton ? Mercedes ? 1'20"558? 117 rounds
2/ Felipe Massa? Ferrari ? 1'21 »266 (+0 »708)? 94 rounds
3/ Adrian Sutil? Force India? 1'21"627 (+1"609)? 109 rounds
4/ Pastor Maldonado? Williams ? 1'22 »305 (+1 »747)? 34 rounds
5/ Valtteri Bottas ? Williams? 1'22"468 (+1"910)? 31 rounds
6/ Esteban Gutiérrez? Sauber? 1'22"553 (+1"995)? 99 rounds
7/ Mark Webber? Red Bull ? 1'22 »658 (+2 »100)? 59 rounds
8/ Sergio Pérez? McLaren ? 1'22 »694 (+2 »136)? 101 rounds
9/ Jean-Eric Vergne? Toro Rosso ? 1'23 »223 (+2 »665)? 114 rounds
10/ Romain Grosjean? Lotus? 1'23 »380 (+2 »822)? 46 rpm
11/ Davide Valsecchi? Lotus? 1’23”448 (+2”890)? 16 rounds
12/ Jules Bianchi? Marussia? 1'24"028 (+3"470)? 74 rounds
13/ Giedo van der Garde? Caterham? 1’24”235 (+3”677)? 126 rounds