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Celis pleased after maiden F1 test with Force India

Mexican teen Alfonso Celis Jr was to happy to complete his first ever Formula 1 drive with Force India in the Abu Dhabi Pirelli test, along with regular driver Nico Hulkenberg, wrapping up the 2015 season.

Alfonso Celis Jr., Force India

Alfonso Celis Jr., Force India

Pirelli

Nico Hulkenberg, Sahara Force India
Alfonso Celis Jr., Sahara Force India F1 Team Development Driver
Alfonso Celis Jr., Force India
Nico Hulkenberg, Sahara Force India
Tom McCullough, Sahara Force India F1 Team Chief Engineer
An engineer with Pirelli tires
Nico Hulkenberg, Sahara Force India F1

Celis took the VJM08 in the morning session completing a solid 65 laps covering 361km sporting number 34 on his car.

"My first day in a Formula One car certainly lived up to expectations," said Celis. "The car had huge grip and excellent braking efficiency, but my experience in the Formula 3.5 car had prepared me quite well for this big challenge.

"For the first few runs, I took things steady while I got used to the car and all the systems. Then, with each run, I started to push more and more as I kept learning about the car," the 19-year-old added.

"With the programme for the day set by Pirelli, I could simply focus on my driving and getting to know everyone.

"2016 is going to be an important year for me as I continue working with the team so I’m pleased to have some valuable miles under my belt already," he added.

With the tyre test, Celis started his development driver role with the team where he will get to do seven practice session next season.

Hulkenberg took over from the Mexican for the afternoon session, finishing a total of 71 laps running the Pirelli programme where they tested the ultrasoft tyres along with the new construction of the slick tyres.

Force India's chief race engineer Tom McCullough too was pleased with the day. "It was Alfonso’s first day in a Formula One car and it’s always fun to be part of that acclimatisation process," he said.

"He worked well with the engineers and improved throughout the morning as he completed numerous long runs on high fuel.

"Nico took over the tyre programme for the afternoon, gathering plenty of useful data with no issues. All in all it’s been a trouble-free day and a nice way to wrap up the 2015 season," he concluded.

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