Abu Dhabi: Will Stevens completes his first race with Caterham F1

Will Stevens discovered the ins and outs of an F1 weekend during his big debut with Caterham. Of course, the young Brit’s only objective was to reach the finish line, as points seemed out of reach. The goal was achieved, even though he logically ended up last in his first race: « We completed the objective of the day, which was to finish the race. It’s a good thing not only for me but also for the whole team. We can be satisfied. »

Nevertheless, it took some time to adapt to driving an F1 in a race: I had a bit of trouble during the first stint on Options, trying to keep them up to temperature at the start of the formation lap. So, I experienced a lot of graining at the front.

But things gradually improved: During the second stint, it went pretty well, and I was able to keep up the pace better. In the end, I felt good in the car, and it feels great to have finished my first Formula 1 race!

On the other hand, it was the opposite for his teammate. Indeed, Kamui Kobayashi’s race started on a good note but ended earlier than expected due to major technical issues. “I started to feel some strange vibrations in the car, and a few laps later, the car became undrivable. The team decided to retire the car as a precaution. Until then, it was a solid race. We had a good pace, and I was enjoying myself.”

We must also remember the context in which Caterham participated in this race. Indeed, only 40 people were present for the team for this return to competition. They only had a contract for their four days in Abu Dhabi. The fact that they were able to run two cars at a pace far from ridiculous is a performance in itself.

It remains to be seen if the Leafield team will return to the track as work on the 2015 car has been halted since the judicial reorganization.