Renault F1 reserve Jack Aitken hailed a “pretty amazing” first experience in a contemporary car after carrying out test duties for the manufacturer at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Aitken, part of the Renault junior scheme since its revival in 2016, stepped up to the role of reserve driver for 2018, alongside his race role in the Formula 2 championship.
Aitken had previously sampled Renault’s 2012-spec machinery during a private test and demonstration runs, meaning his stint in the R.S.18 was his first time in a current-year car.
Aitken completed 128 laps – almost two race distances worth of mileage – with a best time of 1:18.942, which was achieved on the Medium tyre compound.
“No it was more,” said Aitken when asked by Motorsport Week whether the experience was everything he expected.
“I’ve driven an F1 car before but not in the hybrid era and not in an official F1 test session.
“Just being a part of that was pretty amazing. I got over it fairly quickly because we have a job to get on with but at the same time it was super cool to be on the same track as all these guys and being in the current car as well.
“We got through a busy programme and the guys trusted me to get through a lot of the work that’s needed for the next few races and I just tried to do the best job I can.
“I think they were pretty happy and I got up to speed as quickly as possible. It was all pretty good.”
Aitken was coy on Renault’s run plan, commenting: “We did a lot of work and preparation on the next couple of races.
“There’s a couple of items we’ve been working on for a while and they needed a bit of validation on, which Carlos [Sainz Jr.] was working on [on Tuesday] and it’s always nice to get a second opinion.
“So I just carried on that work and a fair bit of aero running and some of the slightly more mundane stuff but I was pretty happy to do it.”
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