Barcelona, 19th February 2020 – Robert Kubica and Antonio Giovinazzi shared the first day of on-track action as pre-season testing began at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The Pole took the newly-unveiled Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN C39 for its first laps in the morning session, before the familiar number #99 reappeared on the car after lunch. In total, the team covered 138 laps without issues, a positive return on a day in which getting mileage under the belt in our new machinery was the key objective.
Xevi Pujolar, Head of Track Engineering: “The first days of testing are not specifically about finding performance, but understanding the new car and the way it behaves. Our programme was tailored to these aims and we can be satisfied with our first day of work. The car ran reliably and we were able to tick all the boxes in our list; we definitely hope it is a sign of things to come for the remainder of these two weeks.”
Robert Kubica (car #88): “As you can imagine, it has been a very special day for the team and also for myself, having worked with Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN for the first time on the track. Driving a new car, the new baby of the team, always represents a lot of emotions, but having a productive day is what really mattered. I think the session was quite smooth for us, although there are still many things to be tested. in the end, though, it has been a good start.”
Antonio Giovinazzi (car #99): “I’m happy the start of this season was a positive one. The first feeling with the car is quite good and I can’t wait to be behind the wheel again. We mostly did long runs, so we still need to see how the car behaves with less fuel and a softer compound, but the important thing is that we had no issues at all. Let’s see how we continue in the next few days.”
Circuit: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya / 4.655 km
Driver: Robert Kubica (AM); Antonio Giovinazzi (PM)
Weather: sunny and dry; air 11-17°C, track 13-29°C
Chassis / engine: Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN C39-02 / Ferrari
Laps: 138 laps (59 KUB; 79 GIO), 642.39 km
Fastest lap: 1:18.386 (KUB); 1:20.096 (GIO)