Sergey Sirotkin got his first taste of the R.S.17 in a Grand Prix session on Friday, however his run in Nico Hülkenberg's Renault during FP1 was cut short due to an hydraulic issue interfering with the gearbox's operation.
The issue that thwarted the young Russian means that the team needed to change the gearbox before Nico Hulkenberg could take to the track in session two.
Sergey was using Pirelli's Soft (yellow) compound tyres, but only completed one installation lap.
“It was a short run for me in FP1, but that's motor sport and it's better to have an issue with the car in practice than in qualifying or the race,” he said. “There's not much I can say about today other than I was happy with the car at the Bahrain test and I was fully prepared to deliver everything required today. I'm next out in Spain so that's where my focus now lies.”
