Jerez: Promoted to the racing seat, Nico Hulkenberg got behind the wheels of Force India's new car, the VJM05, and collected information on Pirelli tyres here on the fourth day of the pre-season testing.
Paul di Resta and reserve driver Jules Bianchi had tested the car in the last three days and now it was turn of German Hulkenberg.
Hulkenberg completed 90 laps on Friday and recorded the fastest lap at one minute and 19.977 seconds.
"It was my first time in the new car so I concentrated on getting comfortable and up to speed. The long runs were useful for that and it also allowed me to start understanding the new tyres. There is still a massive amount to learn and lots of data to look at, but it feels like we have a good baseline to develop from and I'm pleased with how the day went," he said.
Andrew Green, the Technical Director of the team said, "Nico was in the VJM05 for the first time today, so the focus was on making sure he was happy and allowing him to build his confidence with the new car. At the same time we spent the morning ticking off some set-up items and working through the aero programme we started yesterday. The afternoon gave us a chance to let Nico get a better feel for the 2012 tyres as we ran both the soft and the medium compounds."
The second pre-season test will begin in Barcelona from February 21.
Hulkenberg will do the duty on February 21 and 22 while Paul di Resta will be behind the wheels on the next two days.
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