Valtteri Bottas Ends Silverstone Young Driver Test Fastest

Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas has ended the final day of the Silverstone Young Driver Test fastest for Williams, just under a second quicker than his nearest rival of the Marussia of Max Chilton. Rio Haryanto brought up the rear, also for Marussia, as Ma Qing Hua and HRT ended their a day early after yesterday and didn’t partake in the final day.

The final day of testing was run on the International circuit at Silverstone, a 1.851 mile configuration which comprises the southern loop of the Grand Prix circuit. It includes the legendary Hangar Straight and Stowe Corner, as well as the current Grand Prix start/finish straight.

Valtteri Bottas added a further 170 laps to his 120 from yesterday, setting a personal best 48.963 during the afternoon period in overcast yet dry conditions. Williams completed aerodynamic and data gathering throughout the day, as Bottas achieved yet further valuable laps behind the wheel of the FW34.

The Marussia duo of Max Chilton and Rio Haryanto together concentrated on further driver development, as the two GP2 stars completed 52 and 79 laps respectively. The two also surpassed the required 300km which will enable them to gain FIA superlicences. Max Chilton’s personal best was a 49.932, only +0.969 behind pace setter Valtteri Bottas. Rio Haryanto’s personal best was a 50.405, as the Indonesian driver completed much more running in MR-01 than the day before.

HRT ended their test session a day early yesterday, meaning China’s Ma Qing Hua didn’t take to the track on Friday. With the Silverstone Young Driver Test now over, the teams will now naturally pack up and head to Germany for the next round of the Formula 1 World Championship around the Hockenheimring.

Pos Driver Team Time 
 1.  Valtteri Bottas      Williams-Renault       48.963s
 2.  Max Chilton          Marussia-Cosworth      49.932s + 0.969s
 3.  Rio Haryanto         Marussia-Cosworth      50.405s + 1.442s

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team