Caterham prepares for 2014 at Silverstone

Alexander Rossi drove yesterday for the first day of young driver testing taking place at Silverstone. The Caterham driver was able to test new parts in preparation for upcoming races as well as for the next season.

The American driver revealed to Autosport that he had the opportunity to test an entirely new mechanical system in preparation for the next season: « We tested a new mechanical system to distribute understeer and oversteer between high-speed and low-speed corners. It’s something we had never tried before, it was the first time. »

One of the goals for yesterday for Alexander Rossi was also to string together laps – he covered 69 in total – to put kilometers on parts that will be used next season: « The regulatory changes are so significant that any idea you can have before the car hits the track will be beneficial, so our goal was based on the mechanical side, working on many things for next year. This means that when we arrive next year, we won’t be running with something that has never been run; we have already done that. »

Giedo van der Garde, titular driver of the Leafield team, also confirmed the information to the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf: « The team is already focused on next season. » Charles Pic’s teammate also revealed that the new tires brought by Pirelli to Silverstone, which will come into effect from Hungary, are expected to be tested only tomorrow. Today, with Will Stevens at the wheel, Caterham is expected to continue its work in preparation for next season, where its goal will be to further close the gap with the teams that have been present longer in Formula 1.