Conor Daly will test the Sahara Force India Team's VJM-05 again
Fresh off a second place finish in the GP3 series at Silverstone this past weekend, American Conor Daly is making his way up the ranks with a potential American seat in Formula 1. Son of former F1 and CART driver Derek Daly, Conor is testing today with the Sahara Force India Team in England. This will be the second testing session the American will undergo in a Formula 1 car, inching his way closer to a permanent position in the sport. Obviously excited to pilot the car just two months after his first run with the team, Conor had this to share about his work with the team:
"Formula One cars are very complex, just learning how to operate the steering wheel takes time. These tests help me understand what it takes to drive an F1 car and of course the biggest contribution I want to make is to the team's ongoing improvement over the season," said Daly. "It's amazing how much work we get through in a day as I spend most of the time in the car."
In today's session, Conor will do a series of runs to test various aerodynamic components of the car and give the team more data on how the car is performing at top speeds. To maximize the speed and decrease the potential of incidents, this type of session is conducted on an airstrip where the track is long and easy to reach top speeds, as well as plenty of run-off space to correct mistakes.
With this session being Conor's second piloting the Force India VJM-05, there's an ever increasing chance the young American could see a more permanent role in the top racing series. His GP3 performance shows he has the chops to hang with the best in his class, so any time in an F1 car should give him an edge over other young drivers looking to make the jump from other amateur series.
// Update
Though it's not from the Sahara Force India Team, this video from Team Lotus at Duxford with Caterham shows what a straight line aero testing session looks like. Included are some interviews and a Caterham doing some doughnuts.