F1: 16-Year-Old Jeffri Tests Lotus Car

Formula 1

F1: 16-Year-Old Jeffri Tests Lotus Car

Young Nabil Jeffri took a spin at the wheel of a Lotus Formula One car at Duxford Aerodrome in the UK on Wednesday...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted September 01, 2010 Balen (BEL)

Sixteen-year-old Malaysian Nabil Jeffri (Right) talks with Lotus driver Heikki Kovalainen (Left) during a test at Duxford Aerodrome in the UK. (Photo: Courtesy of Lotus Racing)

Sixteen-year-old Malaysian Nabil Jeffri became the youngest man to drive a contemporary F1 car when he did some straight line testing for Lotus today.

Jeffri races in the Formula BMW Asia series, and is a protégé of Lotus boss Tony Fernandes, who is keen to find young talent from his home country.

Jeffri drove the car at Duxford Aerodrome in the UK, where Heikki Kovalainen and regular test driver Fairuz Fauzy were both on hand to watch.

“I have had an incredible day, one of the best days of my life,” said the teenager in a team statement. “I want to thank Lotus Racing, Tony Fernandes and Mike Gascoyne for giving me the chance to drive their car. I have to admit that the first time I went out it was pretty scary – everyone told me the acceleration would be unbelievable, and the braking would be so much greater than anything I’ve ever experienced, and it took a while to get used to that. But Heikki and Fairuz gave me some advice on how to settle in to it, and after a while I was more comfortable, and was able to get through the day’s plan.

“It’s such an honor to have had this opportunity, and it’ll be a long time before the excitement wears off, but I’ll keep on working hard to one day join Heikki, Fairuz, Jarno (Trulli) and the rest of the F1 grid, and with the support of people like Tony and Lotus Racing, I’ve got a great chance of doing so.”

Chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne said: “I’m delighted that Nabil has done such a good job and I’d like to thank him for the work he put in today. Aero testing is an important part of the ongoing development of the car, and it’s great that we can give an opportunity to someone as young as Nabil to help us take another step forward.

“He completed the planned program, gave clear and precise feedback, and we couldn’t ask anymore of him than that. I’m sure this experience will help him take another step forward in his career, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on him to see if what he’s learned today can help him take that next step up, in performance terms, in the Asian Formula BMW Championship.”

Sixteen-year-old Malaysian Nabil Jeffri prepares to take the track on Wednesday during a test at Duxford Aerodrome in the UK. (Photo: Courtesy of Lotus Racing)

Fernandes, who wasn’t at the test, said: “When I first offered Nabil the chance to drive our car, he couldn’t tell if I was joking or not, but I was very serious about giving a young Malaysian the chance to step up to the big time. He’s repaid my faith in him and has performed incredibly well, and that’s a source of real pride for me as he proves what I’ve always believed – keep dreaming, work hard to achieve what other people tell you is impossible, and your dreams will come true.

“I suspect Nabil will head back to Malaysia with his head spinning from everything that’s happened to him today, but now he can say he’s driven an F1 car, and that will set his sights at the very top for the rest of his life. Congratulations Nabil – you’re a superstar.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 25th season as a racing journalist in 2009. Born in London, England, he saw his first F1 race at age 10 in 1976. He began freelancing for Autosport magazine in 1985 and was on the fulltime staff from 1987-92. He then went freelance again, initially spending two years in Japan before following the 1994 Champcar series from a base in Indianapolis. He has not missed a Grand Prix since Suzuka ‘94, a run that has extended to Abu Dhabi ’09. Adam has written books about Eddie Irvine, Piers Courage and Michael Schumacher and hosts a race preview show on Sirius XM. He has written about F1 for SPEEDtv.com since 2005. Check out Adam's Blog or follow him on Twitter

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