A1 Team Switzerland began a two-day test at Silverstone with drivers Sebastien Buemi, Marcel Fässler and Neel Jani in action.

Between them the three drivers covered 92 laps in dry and almost sunny conditions at the Northamptonshire circuit. Buemi completed his fastest lap in the afternoon in 1.11.62, Neel Jani in 1.11.38 and Marcel Fässler in 1.12.66.

Max Welti, Team Principal: "Considering that we have been preparing and setting up this test session in very rushed conditions, A1 Team Switzerland had a very reliable first day back on track and we encountered no major problems, which is a great achievement for a completely new team that has never worked together before. I am very impressed with our new drivers. The times to day are not very significant as the drivers were only settling into the car."

Sebastien Buemi: "It felt really strange to be in such a powerful car for me. But you adapt quickly, even though it was also my first time driving at Silverstone. It was a good start for a rookie like me to be fifth quickest in the morning. I really like some of these corners – especially the fast ‘Bridge' corner which is a really technical challenge."

Marcel Fässler: "I had a really good day although it's been about five years since I last drove a single seater. Nevertheless I spent my time at the wheel getting
accustomed to a lot of new information including driving style and tyre behavior. I'm ready to build on that tomorrow."

Neel Jani: "I only ran late this afternoon and completed 17 laps only but I posted the fastest time for the team with 1.11.383 two laps before the end of my session. It feels strange for me not to have been driving this car since Mexico last year, but it all came back to me very quickly. I came straight from the Monza F1 test, and I could really see the difference between the two machines. At first I was braking too late here still thinking that I was driving an F1 car! I even had a bit of a problem and went wide on the grass. I can't wait until tomorrow to get some more miles under my belt."