Ilott: F1 Barcelona test was positive despite crash

Callum Ilott says that his maiden Formula 1 test was 'incredible' as he was left in admiration of the speed of a modern F1 car.

The Briton drove the Alfa Romeo C38 around the Barcelona circuit, racking up 41 laps during the day, with his fastest time reading a 1:19.819.

However, Ilott didn't enjoy a flawless outing, as he hit the wall at Turn 3, destroying the car. Despite that, the 2019 Formula 2 driver was happy with his day of running and insists the team is too.

"It's incredible, it's hard to describe," he said. "The corner speed you can carry as well as the power, it is amazing. It was a bit of a shock and a little bit to get used to in the beginning once we started to progress from the installs.

"But to be fair, I felt quite comfortable with the car and we battled through all the testing we needed to. I was happy, the team were happy, so we were getting through that really well. So overall it was a really positive day other than the crash.

“I think the team were happy because we did actually get through the program that they wanted to and that side of things, so afterwards it would have been more focused on me to do some performance runs, which is a shame I missed out on, but these things happen, unfortunately.”

Ilott added that the cause of the crash was not "as obvious as I thought it was", and stated that the team was looking over the data to conclude what happened.

The 20-year-old admitted that he must take some blame for the collision with the barriers, as he was in the driving seat.

"I've always got to take some blame, because it's a crash. We’re going to see why at that point I lost it, because it looks pretty similar to any other lap.

"We’ll look at that in more detail, but overall it’s been an incredible day. If you’d asked me three hours ago I was obviously a bit more distraught.

"But these guys have supported me right from the beginning of the day to the end of the day and the attitude towards everyone has been really helpful and really strengthening.”

Replies (1)

Login to reply
  • f1dave

    Posts: 782

    "Positive except for crash" sounds exactly like Stroll comment from last week.

    • + 0
    • May 15 2019 - 16:36

AZ Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

AZAzerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

Test calendar

See full test schedule

World Championship standings 2025

Show full world champion standings

Related news

Give your opinion!

Will Bottas challenge Hamilton for the world championship in 2020?

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
6 - Mar 8
Australia
13 - Mar 15
China
27 - Mar 29
Japan
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
1 - May 3
United States of America
22 - May 24
Canada
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
12 - Jun 14
Spain
See full schedule

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
10 - Apr 12
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
5 - Jun 7
Monaco Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
See full schedule

Driver profile

  • Team Alfa Romeo Racing
  • Points -
  • Podiums -
  • Grand Prix -
  • Country GB
  • Date of b. Nov 11 1998 (27)
  • Place of b. Cambridge, GB
  • Weight 58 kg
  • Length 1.76 m
Show full profile

Team profile

Show full profile
show sidebar