The Madring left a positive impression on Freddie Slater as he reflected on topping Day 1 of the Formula 3 in-season testing.
Freddie Slater once again turned out to be the driver to beat as he topped the first day of F3 testing. The Briton set a lap time of 1:50.343s around the Madring. As the circuit is new, it will be challenging for all drivers to become familiar with it. F3 only had simulator data to use prior to driving around the Madring before taking on testing.
Still, Slater was impressed with the track and took plenty of positives from the first day. Speaking about the opening day, the Trident driver said: “I think it was a really positive day.
“I think this track is incredible to drive; it’s a bit old-school, has some interesting corners, and it’s got a lot of character to it. It’s probably one of the most enjoyable on a push lap on the calendar.
“I’m just enjoying it. I’m having fun. Today has been a really positive day. I’m just learning about the track and trying to adapt my driving style to it and also adapt the car a bit to it.
“It’s been a good learning day for the team, especially, which is very important, obviously, with a completely new track and no previous data to rely on. It’s been a solid day so far.”
Being on the limit
After getting his first taste of driving around the Madring, Slater deemed it ‘one of the best tracks’ he has driven. The F3 driver is quite familiar with street tracks. But the Madring poses the challenge of being a street track while simultaneously having permanent parts.
The drivers have the chance to get familiar with the new venue before taking on the season finale in Madrid later in September. The Briton revealed that it remains important to learn the track and know when to be on the limit and when to slow down.
“I’ve actually had a couple of experiences around street tracks, obviously, Macau, Monaco this year, and it’s about going out, being on the limit, but not being too over the limit that you end up risking crashing,” Slater said.
“I think that was very important this morning to build up to it, to get multiple laps under the belt so you actually could work out what was going on. It’s been a positive way of building up to it. I look forward to tomorrow.
“But I love the whole thing. I think it’s incredible. I think it’s one of the best tracks I’ve driven. Like all the best tracks, like your Macaus, your Monacos, the tracks that have got character, and I think that’s the most special thing that they’ve done here. I can’t name a favourite part, but I do like the Turn 5 and 6 chicane.”
Strong momentum into Day 2
After a successful opening day of in-season testing, Slater was ready to take on Day 2.
“I think tomorrow you’ll see probably a little bit more new tyres put on a lot sooner; I think probably two or three runs in a row maybe in the morning, which we normally see on the second day in the morning of these tests.
“I think the pace has been really strong today, especially considering what tyres we’re on and compared to other people. So, a really, really positive day, honestly, as I look back on it.
“It’s a nice way to begin this final stint of the season. I think tomorrow is going to be lots of qualifying simulations, but also trying to get some race runs in, as today we had quite a few red flags that didn’t help in that sense.”
Across the two days of testing, Slater dominated. Day 2 saw the Audi development driver go even faster, ending the day with a lap time of 1:49.685. The days did not come without disturbances, as he found the barriers on the first day. However, it allowed the driver to truly test the limit.
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