Gené back on the track with the Ferrari F60

Driving on a Formula 1 circuit behind the wheel of a Ferrari single-seater is always extremely exciting, even for someone, who has done thousands of kilometres as a racing and test driver, someone like Marc Gené. The official Scuderia Ferrari test driver came out onto the Yas Marina track in Abu Dhabi at sundown during the Ferrari Racing Days in the Middle East behind the wheel of the F60 (chassis no. 279), which Kimi Raikkonen used on this track at the first ever held Abu Dhabi GP.

For Marc it was his debut in an F1 car on this track: “It’s an interesting track, especially the first sector with the fast corners. Then there’s a very long straight, where you completely open the throttle, even on occasions like the one today. The final part is very slow, but the most impressive thing is the sound you hear in the cockpit passing the hotel, which sits close to the circuit.”

Hundreds of spectators were present on the grandstand and at the paddock, which shows the growing interest for motorsport in this country: “True, I noticed the same, when I spoke to the people I met these days," said the Spamish driver. "Events like this help us to spread the popularity of our sport and motorsport in general in areas, where there isn’t such a big tradition."

Abu Dhabi was a stop-over on the way to Melbourne, where Marc Gené will return to his work as a Formula 1 commentator for Sky Italia: “We’re arriving in Melbourne with the knowledge that we’ve done some very good work during the winter break," Marc told ferrari.com. “I think that a place on the podium can really be possible for us, although we know very well that it’s impossible to close the gap, which separated us from Red Bull in Brazil, in just a few weeks. And then there are also other strong teams such as McLaren, Mercedes and Lotus. I’ve seen Felipe and Fernando very motivated and ready for this season’s opening race: the objective is winning both World Titles and there’s no doubt about this.