Robert Kubica has shaken down Alfa Romeo’s 2021 Formula 1 car, the C41, at Barcelona.
Reserve driver Kubica used the 100km allowance teams are given on filming days to complete 29 laps “mostly” on the circuit’s shorter layout.
Alfa says the day proceeded without any reliability issues which has left it “confident” ahead of the pre-season test in Bahrain on March 12-14.
“It’s always a special moment to be the first to drive a new car,” said Kubica, who will provide back-up to race drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi this season.
“Today’s focus was on making sure everything worked as planned and to ensure all systems were functional, so performance was not an objective, but the thrill of driving a car like this isn’t diminished.
“The car felt good and I am looking forward to driving it once again later in the season.”
Alfa has spent its development tokens on a new nose for the 2021 season.
It finished eighth in the constructors’ championship last year but anticipates a step forward from engine supplier Ferrari, which believes it has made significant progress from its underpowered 2020 power unit.
Alfa team boss Frederic Vasseur said the shakedown in Spain “is a crucial step in our preparations for the season and I’m pleased to report the day went as planned”.
“We were able to perform all the checks we set out to do and now we can focus on analysing these first bits of data and prepare for the next test in two weeks’ time,” he added.
