when today's stars first tested an F1 car

Aug 07, 2017 12:00am UTC

Sebastian Vettel (GER) tests a Williams BMW FW27.
Formula One Testing, Day One, Jerez, Spain,

Last week saw a whole host of young drivers get behind the wheel of an F1 car for the first time. But when did members of the current grid get their first taste of the ultimate racing machinery? We've dug through the archives...

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso first tested an F1 car at Jerez in December 1999, following a meteoric debut year in single seaters in which he won the Open by Nissan championship (later the World Series) at his first attempt. Minardi were impressed - and the Italian tea

Valtteri Bottas

2011 Formula One Young Driver Test - Tuesday
Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab

Having joined Williams as test driver in 2010, Valtteri Bottas conducted some straight line test work for the team before being handed his first serious test chance at the 2011 end-of-year Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi - some two months after he had clin

Marcus Ericsson

Fresh from winning the 2009 Japanese F3 crown, Marcus Ericsson enjoyed a maiden F1 test outing with newly-crowned F1 champions Brawn Grand Prix at Jerez. The Swede clocked 136 laps in the BGP 001 over three days of December running. © Sutton Motorsport Images

Romain Grosjean

A few days after a short demo run at Silverstone, Romain Grosjean made his proper F1 test bow for Renault at Barcelona in June 2008, racking up 60 laps in the Renault R28. © Sutton Motorsport Images

Nico Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg made a big splash in his debut F1 test with Williams at Jerez in December 2007, lapping quicker than the team's regular driver Kazuki Nakajima. © Sutton Motorsport Images

Daniil Kvyat

19-year-old Daniil Kvyat enjoyed his first proper run-out for Toro Rosso at the 2013 young driver test at Silverstone. He must have made a good impression - later in the year he'd make his F1 practice debut with the team. © Sutton Motorsport Images

Lewis Hamilton

Future three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a first taste of F1 power at Silverstone in December 2004. The Briton enjoyed 21 laps behind the wheel of a McLaren-Mercedes MP4-19. © LAT Photographic.

Kevin Magnussen

Having joined McLaren's young driver programme in 2010, Kevin Magnussen was handed a maiden outing with the team at the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi in November 2012. He impressed immediately, going fastest on the opening day and staying there for the r

Felipe Massa

Sauber handed baby-faced Euro F3000 champion Felipe Massa his F1 test debut in September 2001, with the Brazilian completing two days of running at Mugello in the C20. © LAT Photographic

Esteban Ocon

He's driven for Manor and Force India in F1, but it was Lotus who gave Esteban Ocon his first taste of F1 machinery at Abu Dhabi in November 2014. © Sutton Images

Jolyon Palmer

Like Ocon, Jolyon Palmer experienced F1 machinery for the first time at the 2014 post-season test in Abu Dhabi. The Briton, fresh from winning the GP2 Series, completed 37 laps for Force India. © Sutton Images

Sergio Perez

Fresh from finishing runner-up in GP2 in 2010 - and having already inked a Sauber deal for 2011 - Sergio Perez enjoyed his first F1 drive with the Swiss team at the end-of-year Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi. © Sutton Motorsport Images

Kimi Raikkonen

20-year-old Kimi Raikkonen was granted a debut test by Peter Sauber after a very short but hugely impressive run in Formula Renault. His pace over three days of testing at Mugello in September 2000 - he got within 1s of Ferrari's Michael Schumacher on day two - landed him a race seat in 2001. © Sutton Motorsport Images

Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo made a strong impression on his F1 test debut at Jerez in December 2009 - the newly crowned British F3 champion topped the timesheets ahead of his fellow young drivers. © Sutton Motorsport Images

Carlos Sainz

A day before fellow Red Bull junior Daniil Kvyat made his debut, Carlos Sainz was given a chance behind the wheel of Toro Rosso's STR8 at Silverstone. The teenage Spaniard then tested for senior squad Red Bull the next day. © Sutton Motorsport Images

Stoffel Vandoorne

McLaren junior Stoffel Vandoorne outlined his potential by lapping only marginally slower than regular driver Jenson Button during the two-day test at Barcelona in May 2014. © Sutton Images

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen is the only driver on this list to have driven an F1 car for the first time at a Grand Prix event. The teenage sensation took part in FP1 at Suzuka in 2014, just a year after first climbing into a racing car. © Sutton Images

Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel was just 18 when he tested an F1 car for the first time, driving Williams' BMW-powered FW27 at Jerez in September 2005 as a reward for dominating German Formula BMW in 2004. © Sutton Motorsport Images

Pascal Wehrlein

Just days after Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg had dueled for the 2014 world title in Abu Dhabi, Pascal Wehrlein climbed aboard the championship-winning Mercedes AMG F1 W05 at the same venue for his F1 debut. © Sutton Images

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