In the new car for the first time

Barcelona - On Thursday Nico Hulkenberg drove the new VJM04 for the first time. The Force India driver completed 31 laps at the testing in Barcelona and finished ninth with a personal best time of 1:26.030 minutes.

“It was good to be back in a F1 car after about one month,” the 23 year old said. “We are still learning about the new car, but we are heading in the right direction.”

Due to a reliability problem "The Hulk's" session had to be ended a little earlier than expected, but he could get used to KERS and the new adjustable rear wing for the first time.

"There's definitely a lot more work for the driver to do on the steering wheel than last year," Hulkenberg said.

"The Hulk" will drive again in Free Practice I at the Australian GP on 25 March.