In her first visit to the Bahrain International Circuit, Alba Larson was pleased with her progress during Day 1 of the F1 Academy in-season test. The F1 Academy grid headed to Bahrain for three days of testing. Currently seventh in the Championship, Larsen reflected on the value of this testing session and how she will take her learnings forward into the conclusion of the 2025 season.
Larsen adapting well to a new track
The 16 year old Danish driver shared how she adapted well to the new track. She praised her team for hitting the ground running as her times showed consistent pace throughout the opening day. Larsen shared her reaction to driving around the Bahrain circuit for the first time in her career, comparing it with the most recent F1 Academy race weekend in Singapore.
“The whole team was on it from the beginning and I was on it from the beginning. Starting the day off in P4 and finishing the day off in P4 is really good, having been in the top four all the time during the day.
“It’s been a really fun track to learn, it’s very hot here, not as hot as Singapore, but still hot. It’s been a really fun day, I’m enjoying working with everyone and learning the track. I’m learning all the time and keep finding lap time.”
Room for improvement but looking forward to next round
Though pleased with competitive times she put in, Larsen shared her thoughts that she still has more pace to find. She is keen to make improvements over the course of the rest of Bahrain testing.
F1 Academy next heads to Las Vegas, which Larsen kept at the forefront of her mind throughout the session. While hoping to gain speed to improve her qualifying performance in general, she particularly focused on this for the final round of this season, in which the driver will have more limited practice time.
“The last run I could have done more. Tomorrow is all about putting it together and really trying to maximise those laps that we get on new tyres. I think that will be the same for everyone, all the time trying to improve.”
“Putting a lap together is so important in every Qualifying, especially in Vegas because we only have one Practice and then Qualifying, so very few laps. That’s what we’ll be focusing on and what I think everyone is focusing on in getting the preparation in for Vegas.”
