Hulkenberg: It was important to understand where to start working with the C45

      Nico Hulkenberg summed up the results of the tests in an interview with the official website of the championship, but carefully avoided any assessment of the speed capabilities of the Sauber car and only said that the team would get a real idea of this only in Melbourne.

      Nico Hulkenberg: "The tests flew by quickly – it seems like these days are dragging on for a long time, but they are ending quickly. Of course, I'm happy to start working with my new team and getting to know their car on the track. There was a lot of work, we drove a lot of laps, and it's good that now we will have a week to digest all this and analyze the information we have gathered.

      There are only two weeks left before the start of the season in Melbourne, and I'm looking forward to it. Although the tests went fine, to be honest, I still don't understand what level we are at, but our main task was to determine where to start working on further fine-tuning the car, to understand how it reacts to changes in settings. In general, so far we are talking about all these basic points.

      Of course, there are many areas in which we have to work, especially since last year the team lagged behind its rivals, so now we need to catch up. But only in Melbourne, when the races start, will we really be able to assess the balance of power.

      If we talk about how I've worked with the team, then things are fine here. Since January, I have spent a lot of days at the base in Hinville, including working on the simulator, and I think everything is going well, I like working with the engineers, with the team leader Mattia Binotto.

      It's clear that when you join another team, there's a lot to understand and figure out, and it's interesting in its own way. I would compare this to a situation where you are building some kind of new relationship. I also got along well with Gabriel Bortoleto, my new partner. He's a nice guy, very smart and very fast on the track. He learns very quickly too, and I will be happy to work with him throughout the season."